The 2019 ITTF Africa Cup is in the record books, and two familiar faces grace the cover. Defending champions Dina Meshref and Omar Assar of Egypt retained their respective singles titles in the continental championship, held in the Nigerian city of Lagos. With the wins, both champions also receive golden tickets to their respective 2019 World Cups. In women's singles final, Dina Meshref, the top seed, overcame her cousin, fourth-seeded Yousra Helmy, in straight sets. With the win, Meshref wins a staggering seventh appearance at the Women's World Cup, to be held October 18-20 in Chengdu, China. “I feel very happy to have defended my title and qualified for the Women’s World Cup," said Meshref. "I really hope I can represent Africa in the best possible way.” Also representing Africa will be her countryman Omar Assar (pictured). He too will travel from Egypt to Chengdu for the Men's World Cup, to be held November 29-December 1. In the semifinals, Assar, seeded third, overcame top seed Quadri Aruna, despite the latter enjoying home court advantage in his native Nigeria. To retain his Africa Cup title from 2018, Assar overcame second-seeded compatriot Ahmed Ali Saleh in seven grueling games. This was only the latest round in the ongoing rivalry between Egypt and Nigeria, by far the top two table tennis teams in Africa. With the continental championships a matter of public record, and with them their automatic World Cup invitations, the ITTF will announce the remaining Wild Card bids on Wednesday, August 7.
