In a thrilling display of todays’ session on court, Seif Omar from Egypt emerged as the standout player during the All Africa U19 Championships currently underway in Senegal. His performance against Oussama Keddou from Algeria captivated spectators and secured Egypt’s top position in Group A.
Seif Omar’s match against Keddou was a testament to his resilience and strategic prowess. The intense game, which lasted 55 minutes, saw Omar winning the opening game 21-16 before Keddou fought back to take the second game 16-21. In a gripping decider, Omar maintained his composure to clinch the match 21-13, securing Egypt’s victory in the tie.
In the semi-final encounter against South Africa, Seif Omar dominated his Men’s singles match against Miguel Vigario 21-11, 21-13.
After the match, Seif Omar spoke to BCA TV, expressing his relief:
“It was a very tough game for me in the last match of the group stage against Algeria and also in the semifinal against South Africa, but I have to give credit to my Algerian opponent for stretching the game into three sets. I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a tough match, but I managed to prepare myself mentally and physically. Now that our short term objective has been achieved that is finishing up first in our group, we shift to our most important objective which is undoubtedly winning tomorrow’s finals, where we will face a tough and solid Mauritius team. I really hope that we can keep up the same tempo tomorrow to win the finals.”
In the overall tie against Algeria, Egypt won with a 4-1 scoreline. Egypt’s victories included Reem Hussein’s straight-sets win in the Women’s Singles and a thrilling Women’s Doubles victory by Elgendy Hadia/Reem Hussein over Tinhinane Chila/Ines Madi with scores of 21-15, 16-21, 21-10. The Mixed Doubles pair of Ziad Hesham/Elgendy Hadia also contributed to the score with a win. However, in Men’s Doubles, Algeria’s Daoud Aimen/Yacine Laichi defeated Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohamed Mahmoud/Seif Omar in a closely contested three-set match, ending 21-18, 19-21, 20-22. Despite this loss, Egypt’s overall performance ensured their position at the top of Group A, with Algeria finishing second.
In the semifinal match against South Africa, the Egyptians won straight 3-0 with a win in Men Singles, Women Singles and Men’s Doubles where the South African pair had to retire due to injury.
In the other Group A match in the morning session, Tunisia dominated Burundi with a 5-0 win, finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Meanwhile, in Group B, Mauritius reigned over South Africa with a 4-1 victory. Highlights included Agnivesh Ragoonundun/Mia Mi Lin Siow Yin Young’s hard-fought win against Ricardo Vigario/Chloe Lai in Mixed Doubles and Lucas Douce and Elsa How Hong’s comfortable Singles victories. South Africa, however, claimed a surprise win in Men’s Doubles, with Miguel Vigario/Ricardo Vigario defeating Tejas Savoo/Aidan Yu Kiat Siow Yin Young 22-20, 21-15. The Women’s Doubles match between Mauritius’ Tiya Bhurtun/Layna Luxmi Chiniah and South Africa’s Chloe Lai/Yiwen Li was a nail-biter, ultimately won by Mauritius 17-21, 21-14, 21-16.
In the semifinal match Mauritius dominated Algeria 3-0 with a win in Men Singles (Lucas Douce), Women Singles (Tiya Bhurtun) and Women Doubles (Chiara How Hong/Elsa How Hong)
After the match, Tiya Bhurtun told BCA TV:
“We are extremely happy to be able to finish first in our group and eventually win our semifinal match against Algeria. The job is not done yet as we have to focus for the final tomorrow against a tough Egyptian Team, but we shall do our best and be in our best form for tomorrow.”
In the final Group B match, Benin secured a 5-0 victory over the host nation Senegal, hence finishing third and fourth respectively.
As the dust settles on the semi-finals, all eyes are now on tomorrow’s eagerly anticipated final between Egypt and Mauritius at the All Africa U19 Championships in Senegal. Both teams have shown outstanding ability and tenacity throughout the tournament, and the final promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of Africa’s top badminton powerhouses.
Tune in tomorrow to witness the exciting matches lined up and see which nation will emerge victorious in this epic head-to-head. Stay updated with live coverage on BCA’s YouTube Channel, WhatsApp Channel, and Facebook page. Don’t miss out on what promises to be a thrilling climax to the All Africa U19 Mixed Team Event!
