Nigeria’s deputy captain, Matthew Kuti, is one victory away from qualifying for the knockout stage of the men’s singles table tennis event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.

The competition is taking place at the Dakar Expo Centre, where Kuti and compatriot Favour Ojo began their campaigns on Saturday, October 31, 2026.

The Nigerian pair suffered an early setback in the mixed doubles event, exiting in the round of 16 after losing to their Thai opponents.

In the men’s singles, Kuti was drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia’s Youssef Aidli, Li Ki Ho of Hong Kong and Italy’s Francesco Travesan. Only the top two players in the group will advance to the knockout stage.

Kuti endured a difficult opening match, losing 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-3) to Hong Kong’s Li, whose pace and attacking approach proved challenging for the Nigerian.

However, the 2026 African Youth Cup champion responded with an impressive 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7) victory over Tunisia’s Aidli to revive his qualification hopes.

He will now face Italy’s Travesan on Monday, November 2, in a decisive encounter that could determine his progress to the next stage.

Meanwhile, Ojo’s campaign in the women’s singles event came to an end after she suffered a 3-1 defeat to Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy. The result was her second group-stage loss, ruling her out of contention for a place in the knockout rounds.

Despite the challenges, Kuti remains optimistic about his chances of progressing and is determined to raise his performance against the Italian.

“It has not been easy for us here in Dakar because everybody is at their best and we are all aiming for the knockout stage. I hope I can raise my game against the Italian,” said the 2026 African Youth Cup champion.