Defending champion Anders Lind retained the men’s singles title at the 2025 WTT Contender Lagos after defeating Oh Junsung 4-1 in Sunday’s final.

The Danish star dominated the opening three sets 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 against the South Korean opponent at the Lagos tournament.

Oh responded strongly, taking the fourth set 12-10, but Lind regained control to secure the fifth set 11-8 and defend his crown.

Lind became the first player to retain the title since the tournament was introduced in Lagos in 2023.

Speaking with journalists, Lind described the triumph as one of the best moments of his career.

“I’m so happy right now. It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” he said.

The Danish player also praised Lagos supporters for their energy and encouragement throughout the competition.

 “I feel at home here. The fans were cheering and dancing. It gave me great motivation to fight,” Lind said.

He commended Oh’s performance and noted that surviving a difficult opening-round clash against Iulian Chirita boosted his confidence.

In the women’s singles final, Japan’s Satsuki Odo defeated defending champion Honoka Hashimoto 4-1 to win the title.

Odo secured the match with set scores of 11-3, 5-11, 11-3, 11-6 and 11-4 against her compatriot.

The Japanese star expressed delight after dethroning the defending champion to emerge tournament winner.

India’s Thakkar Manav and Shah Manush won the men’s doubles title after defeating their opponents 3-0 in the final.

The Indian pair recorded set victories of 11-7, 12-10 and 11-4 to complete a dominant performance.

They said they were delighted to emerge champions following impressive displays throughout the tournament.

In the women’s doubles category, Korea Republic pair Reina Aso and Joo Cheonhui defeated Japan’s Hitomi Sato and Shibata Saki 3-1.

The Korean duo won the sets 11-1, 11-8, 11-7 and 11-4 to secure the title.

The pair expressed satisfaction with their performances and excitement after lifting the trophy.

The Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, described the tournament as one of Nigeria’s leading sports tourism events.

Mr Olopade praised organisers, including the President of ITTF Africa and the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Wahid Oshodi, for sustaining the competition.

“I have always spoken about this competition in glowing terms because it is one of the tourism and sports-oriented initiatives we have,” he said.

He described the tournament as a global competition and urged Nigerians against focusing solely on local players winning titles.

“First of all, we must identify the fact that it is a global event, so we should not have the bias,” Mr Olopade said.

He, however, stressed the need to improve Nigerian players to compete consistently with leading international stars, including Quadri Aruna.

Mr Olopade said discussions were ongoing with federation officials and stakeholders, including Dr Kweku Tandoh, on developing more world-class players.

He added that the commission would support a youth table tennis initiative aimed at nurturing emerging talents nationwide.

“I personally will start sponsoring a table tennis competition in my town in Abeokuta strictly for young people,” he said.

Seven-time Olympian, Olufunke Oshonaike, called for the rebuilding of Nigeria’s table tennis structure, especially within the women’s category.

According to Ms Oshonaike, Nigeria must develop young players from grassroots level to compete effectively with the world’s best.

“In table tennis now, you see players aged 14 or 15 competing at the highest level,” she said.

She added that young players required proper guidance, quality coaching and continuous support to achieve international success.

Also, Mr Oshodi described the tournament as successful despite the challenges encountered during the competition.

 “We have seen that we have the talent that can compete, but there is still a lot of hard work,” Mr Oshodi said.

He also commended fans and media organisations for supporting and promoting the tournament.

A former African and Commonwealth champion, Atanda Musa, praised the organisation, atmosphere and conduct of players and officials during the event.

Mr Musa said, “I was very happy and impressed with everything I saw. The environment, the press, the hospitality and the organisation were very nice.”

Mr Musa added that Nigerian players now enjoy greater exposure and opportunities through regular participation in international competitions. 

(NAN)