By the morning of 19 September, the individual competition had reached the stage where every match carried a little more weight. The quarter-finals were no longer about simply staying in the tournament. For the players on the sand at Aero Beach, victory meant moving within one match of a final.
The men’s triples produced one of the closest quarter-finals of the day when Egypt faced NOC-Kenya. Egypt’s A. Abdelsattar, Ashraf A. and M. Hesham Hassan were pushed all the way by Edwin Akwanyi, Sammy Mdogo Sikoyo and C. Simiyu.
The first game went to Egypt 10–8, but NOC-Kenya responded with a 9–6 win in the second. Egypt then edged a very close third game 10–8 before NOC-Kenya levelled again with a 9–3 fourth game.
That sent the match into a deciding fifth. Egypt managed to find the final points and took the game 9–2 to win 3–2 and move into the semi-finals.
Another men’s triples quarter-final saw Burkina Faso’s F. Kafando, M. Ouedraogo and R. Sawadogo face Benin’s P. Adomahou, Oswald Fano-Dosh and Carlos Kpanou.
The first game was close, with Benin taking it 9–7. Burkina Faso then pushed the second game beyond nine points, but Benin again came through, winning 13–12.
From there, Benin took control. They won the third game 9–1 and finished the match with a 9–5 fourth-game victory to secure a 3–1 result.
The women’s doubles quarter-finals also produced contrasting matches. Benin’s Anna Gladys Akakpo and Flora Kpogbemabou were taken to five games by Egypt’s G. Mohamed Fakhr and N. Refaat.
Egypt won the first 10–8, but Benin fought back with a 13–11 second game and then edged the third 12–10. Egypt responded in the fourth, taking it 10–8 and forcing a deciding fifth.
Benin eventually closed out the fifth 9–6 to win 3–2 and advance.
The other women’s doubles quarter-final on Court 1 was more straightforward. Burkina Faso’s L. Belem and S. Maiga defeated Benin’s B. Atchade and H. Fabossou 3–0, winning 9–3, 9–4 and 9–4.
The mixed doubles quarter-finals added another layer to the day. Egypt’s A. Abdelsattar and R. Hussien overcame Benin’s C. Kpanou and F. Kpogbemabou 3–2, while Benin’s Oswald Fano-Dosh and Anna Gladys Akakpo defeated Burkina Faso’s R. Sawadogo and S. Maiga 3–0.
Mauritius also featured in the mixed doubles knockout action. T. Dookhee and K. Dookhee faced Egypt’s A. Abdelsattar and R. Hussien and fought through four games, but Egypt eventually secured a 3–1 victory.
By the time the semi-finals began, the remaining players had already been through some exhausting matches. Some had won comfortably, while others had needed five games and several moments of composure to keep their campaigns alive.
That was the nature of the individual competition on 19 September. There was no easy route to the final stages. Each win brought another challenge, and each close game made the next one even more important.
With the finalists now beginning to emerge across the different events, the atmosphere around Aero Beach changed once again. The competition was getting closer to its final moments, but the titles were still waiting to be decided on the sand.
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