$100,000 up for grabs as 2026 WTT Contender Lagos kicks off May 19
At least 30 of the world’s top 100-ranked players will participate in the 2026 World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender, billed to commence in Lagos on May 19.Participating athletes will be vying for $100,000 split across five events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.The six-day tournament will be held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, with players from Japan, South Korea, France, Portugal, Egypt, Romania, India, and Belgium, among others, expected to participate.At a press conference on Monday, Adesoji Tayo, chairman of the local organising committee (LOC), said the quality of foreign players expected for the competition promises “explosive matches”.“WTT Contender Lagos has become a fixture on the calendar of many top players, and each year it grows in leaps and bounds with quality attendance,” he said.“We are grateful to the Lagos State Government and our sponsors—Baba Ijebu Bet, Prime Atlantic, and CFOmoto—for their consistent support. With the calibre of players signed up, fans should expect explosive matches this year.”Kweku Tandoh, the tournament director, highlighted the event’s evolution from its humble beginnings in 2013 as the Lagos State Table Tennis Classics, to the Nigeria Open in 2016, the ITTF Challenge Open in 2019, and finally the WTT Contender Lagos in 2023.“This tournament has firmly established Lagos as a global table tennis destination. It has become a model for corporate sponsorship, thanks to the unwavering support of the Lagos State Government and our partners. We aim to keep improving and attracting more world-class players to the aquatic city of Lagos,” he said.The tournament will open with two days of qualifiers, as unseeded players vie for spots in the main draw starting May 21. Defending champions Ander Lind of Denmark and Honoka Hashimoto of Japan will be aiming to retain their singles titles in what promises to be a fiercely contested edition.
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