Aruna, Kuti bank on WTT experience to excel in African Youth Championship

Quadri Aruna’s daughter, Mariam and reigning West African champion, Matthew Kuti, have said they will leverage on their experiences gained at the just concluded WTT Lagos contender to compete at the ongoing 2025 ITTF African Youth Championships in Lagos. The duo was among the youngsters who represented the country at the 2025 WTT Lagos contender […]

Quadri Aruna’s daughter, Mariam and reigning West African champion, Matthew Kuti, have said they will leverage on their experiences gained at the just concluded WTT Lagos contender to compete at the ongoing 2025 ITTF African Youth Championships in Lagos.

The duo was among the youngsters who represented the country at the 2025 WTT Lagos contender won by Denmark’s Anders Lind and Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto in both men’s and women’s singles events.

In an interview with Daily Trust, Mariam relished her experience at the WTT, saying she would utilise it in her debut appearance in ITTF group stage matches.

“I am really happy and excited to play. It is my first time playing at ITTF. My expectation is to win the rest of my games and make the crowd happy. It was really nice playing at the senior WTT tournament,” she said.

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Kuti, who defeated David from Madagascar, 3-1 in his first group stage match, described his WTT experience as a great resource, saying he would maximise it to extend his dominance on the continent.

“I gained a lot of confidence from the WTT. I want to use it to win the singles, double,” he said.

Reacting to his victory in the first group stage match, he said it was not a stroll in the park.

“The game was not too difficult but it was difficult. When I lost the first set, I was surprised, but I fought to win,” he said.