Fatimo Bello powered through with a 4-1 win to book her spot in the ITTF Africa Cup semifinals and secure a ticket to the World Cup, despite a tough challenge from Tunisia’s rising star Ela Saidi.
Bello will be debuting at her second major international event after representing Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Currently ranked 130th after falling from the big heights of 2022, Bello will hope to rise again.
In 2022, the Nigerian table tennis star Fatima Bello made an astounding leap over 291 places in the latest ITTF world ranking to place 52nd after a series of successes, which includes emerging the champion at the WTTC West Africa Qualification and registering a 2nd place finish at the ITTF-Africa Cup in Lagos.
Bello became the only Nigerian female player and third Nigerian to have ranked as high in history, following the exploits of Atanda Musa, who reached the top 40 in the 1980s, and recently Quadri Aruna in the top 10.