by Olalekan Okusan

The win in the Moroccan city was a major boost to their bank of confidence; the realisation dawned that they could compete with the best the continent has to offer.

Memorably at the semi-final stage they beat Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Segun Toriola (9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7), followed by success in opposition to Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali and Ahmed Ali Saleh (13-15, 11-7, 2-11, 11-6, 11-8) to arrest the title.

Now can Sami Kherouf, the no.7 seed in Tunis, repeat the feat when alone, repeat the feat when there is no Mohamed Sofiène Boudjadja

“I am preparing for the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup like every African competition with the ambition to do better than the last edition. My main goal in Tunisia is to win a medal at Africa Top 16 Cup.” Sami Kherouf

It is his third appearance the tournament, the goal to make an impact, to dent the established order.

“I don’t set a specific goal as the dream of every player is to win the tournament; this is my ambition, the will is to go further. I am not bothered about the seeding list as seeding can be altered on table. I don’t care about the rating as I am aiming to win every match I play. I believe the ranking will change after the tournament.” Sami Kherouf

He is one of two Algerians competing in Tunis, the other is Larbi Bouriah

• 2020 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup: Seeding – men’s & women’s events