By Rapheal
African table tennis stars are set to make their mark at the WTT US Smash 2025, with Nigeria鈥檚 Olajide Omotayo and Egypt鈥檚 Mohamed El-Beiali spearheading the continent鈥檚 campaign in the preliminary round of the prestigious tournament.
The event, which runs for 11 days (July 3 to 13) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, is the first WTT Grand Smash to be held on American soil and boasts a prize pool of $1.55 million.
Omotayo, the 2019 African Games champion, returns to the international stage with a challenging opener against wildcard Victor Xie of the United States. The Nigerian, currently ranked 162nd in the world, will rely on his experience and ranking advantage over the 777th-rated Chinese-born American when they clash on Friday, July 4.
Now based between the United States and France, Omotayo faces a tough path to the main draw, where elite global stars await.
His performance will be closely watched as Africa seeks representation among the tournament鈥檚 top contenders.
Joining him in the preliminary round is Egypt鈥檚 El-Beiali, who will face Slovenia鈥檚 Deni Kozul. El-Beiali鈥檚 compatriot, Mahmoud Helmy, is set to take on American Ved Sheth, while Algeria鈥檚 Mehdi Bouloussa will battle Sweden鈥檚 Kristian Karlsson. Benin Republic鈥檚 Abdel-Kader Salifou rounds out the African men鈥檚 singles lineup with a match against Spain鈥檚 Juan Perez.
In the women鈥檚 singles, Egypt鈥檚 Yosura Helmy stands as the sole African representative in the preliminary round, facing American Mandy Yu.
Meanwhile, top African players, including Nigeria鈥檚 Quadri Aruna and Egypt鈥檚 Omar Assar, have secured spots in the main draw of the men鈥檚 singles. Egypt鈥檚 trio of Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby will also begin their campaigns directly in the women鈥檚 singles main draw.
Excitement is building among global stars ahead of the tournament. Men鈥檚 singles world champion Wang Chuqin of China expressed his enthusiasm: 鈥淟as Vegas often hosts world-class sports events. I鈥檓 looking forward to showcasing myself in such a unique atmosphere where sports and entertainment meet.鈥
Sweden鈥檚 Anton Kallberg echoed the sentiment: 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much buzz about visiting Vegas, so I just want to see and feel all of it.鈥
American star Lily Zhang, a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, shared her anticipation: 鈥淭he city has everything 鈥 it hosts all the big events and has glitz and glamour.鈥
Homegrown talent Kanak Jha added, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no city in the world like it. So many experiences, great vibes, and stimulation.鈥
As the WTT US Smash 2025 kicks off, African players will be looking to make a strong impression and advance to the main draw, where the world鈥檚 best will battle for glory in one of table tennis鈥 most exciting arenas.