Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa produced one of the biggest upsets in African table tennis history by defeating Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna in a thrilling semifinal of the 2026 ITTF African Cup held in Benghazi, Libya.
Bouloussa won 4-3 in a nail-biting match (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7), marking his first-ever qualification for a continental final and breaking a 31-year record in the competition.
He became the first player outside Nigeria and Egypt to reach the ITTF African Cup final since 1991.
Quadri Aruna, widely regarded as Africa’s most dominant table tennis player in recent years, had advanced to the semifinals on Sunday with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Egypt’s Badr Mostafa (11-5, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9).
Despite the shocking semifinal loss, Aruna has already secured qualification for the ITTF World Cup in Macao, China, continuing his decorated international career.
Bouloussa will face the winner of the other semifinal in the final, aiming to make history as only the third player outside Nigeria or Egypt to win the prestigious African Cup.
