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By Our Reporter
Touted as the next big stars of African table tennis, Wassim Essid and Mariam Younes have lived up to expectations at the 2025 ITTF Africa Youth Championships in Lagos. Both top seeds have remained unbeaten in all their matches—team and singles—demonstrating their dominance and consistency on the continental stage.
Essid, Africa’s highest-ranked male youth player and the No. 1 seed in the boys’ singles, has yet to drop a match in the tournament. Despite Tunisia’s narrow 3-2 loss to hosts Nigeria in the boys’ U-19 team final, the 17-year-old stood out with his aggressive style and commanding presence at the table.
The defending boys’ U-19 singles champion had declared before the tournament that he came to Lagos to retain his title. So far, he has approached each match with calculated precision, especially against strong contenders from Nigeria and Egypt—two nations seen as major threats to his reign.
Similarly, Mariam Younes, the top seed in the girls’ singles and a key figure in the Egyptian team, has been a pillar of strength and inspiration. Competing in her final youth tournament, having reached the age limit, Younes led by example as Egypt swept Nigeria 3-0 in the girls’ U-19 team final.
Her composed demeanor and leadership, both on and off the table, have galvanized her teammates, and she remains determined to defend her singles crown in Lagos. With fierce competition from within her team and across the continent, the coming days will reveal whether she can hold on to her titles
