There was little separating the leading mixed doubles pairs on 19 September. By the time the semi-finals arrived at Aero Beach, the remaining players had already been through the pressure of the knockout rounds, and one more difficult match stood between them and the final.
Uganda’s Denis Mukasa and Gladys Mbabazi found themselves in another five-game battle, this time against Benin’s Oswald Fano-Dosh and Anna Gladys Akakpo.
The Ugandan pair started well, taking the opening game 10–8. Benin answered in the second, winning 9–5, and then moved ahead with a 9–4 victory in the third.
That left Uganda with little room for error. Mukasa and Mbabazi responded with a 9–6 win in the fourth game, bringing the match level and sending it into another deciding fifth game.
The final game stayed close, but Uganda managed to finish the job. They took it 9–7 to complete a 3–2 victory and book their place in the mixed doubles final.
Their path to the semi-final had already been demanding. In the quarter-final, Uganda faced Benin’s Carlos Kpanou and Flora Kpogbemabou in another match that went the distance.
Benin took the opening game 9–7, but Uganda quickly responded, winning the second 9–5. Benin then moved ahead again with a 9–4 third game, leaving Uganda needing to win the next two.
The Ugandan pair did exactly that. They took the fourth game 9–3 before winning the deciding fifth 9–7.
On the other side of the draw, Egypt’s A. Abdelsattar and R. Hussien had also battled through a difficult quarter-final. Their opponents were Benin’s Carlos Kpanou and Flora Kpogbemabou, and the Egyptian pair eventually came through another five-game contest.
Egypt took the opening game 9–7 before Benin responded strongly with a 9–5 second game. Benin then moved ahead by winning the third 9–4, but Egypt fought back with a 9–3 fourth game.
The fifth game once again became the deciding moment. Egypt finished strongly to take it 9–7 and complete the 3–2 victory.
The result meant that Egypt would face Uganda in the mixed doubles final, giving both pairs another opportunity to finish their long day on a high.
For Mukasa and Mbabazi, reaching the final was the reward for surviving two consecutive five-game matches. They had been pushed to the limit, but each time they found enough to stay in the competition.
The final now awaited, with one more match standing between the two pairs and the end of their mixed doubles campaign.
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