Twelve-year-old Mathew Kuti has been in fine form after claiming two titles at Aso Cup Tournament in Abuja and with the kick-off of the 2021 NTTF National Championships, the Ayangburen High School student believes he has the wherewithal to extend his dominance at the tournament.
Kuti claimed the U-13 and U-15 titles at the 14th Aso Cup in Abuja and he will be on duty at the national tournament from May 18to 22.
“It promises to be exciting, particularly playing in Lagos in front of my fans. I must also admit that it is not going to be an easy task for me because I know most of the players are on the lookout for me after my performance in Abuja. I am always ready because I am not only playing to win but I am hoping to get a national call-up with my performance,” the Ikorodu-based player said.
Nigeriaâs teenage table tennis sensation, Musa Mustapha, has been ranked worldâs best in the boysâ U-11 by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
With this development, Mustapha has become the second African to be rated number one in the world after Hana Goda was listed in 2020 as the best U-15 girl in the world.
The Abuja-based Mustapha was part of the Nigerian team that won the 2019 ITTF Junior Circuit in Ghana and the world table tennis ruling body has also been monitoring the player in the last three years after he made his senior debut at the 2018 Nigeria Open in Lagos.
In the ranking list released by ITTF, Mustapha with 128 points is number one U-11 while he is also ranked 17th in the U-13 category while his brother Mustapha Mustapha was rated 18th in the same cadre.
The teenage table tennis sensation, Musa was part of the Nigerian team that won the 2019 ITTF Junior Circuit in Ghana.
Interestingly, the world table tennis ruling body has also been monitoring the player in the last three years after he made his senior debut at the 2018 Nigeria Open in Lagos.
The Al-Faizun Junior Academy student is expected to be part of the World Youth Series taking place later this year in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.