Beyond the allure of the $100,000 prize pool, players at the 2025 WTT Contender Lagos are also chasing valuable ranking points at Africa’s most vibrant WTT Contender Series event, hosted at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. As the qualifying rounds enter Day 2 on Wednesday, July 23, Lagos remains the epicentre of thrilling table tennis action. Winners in each event will earn a substantial 400 ranking points—enough to trigger a significant leap in the global standings. Runners-up will receive 280 points, while semi-finalists and quarter-finalists will take home 140 and 70 points, respectively. All eyes are on Denmark’s Anders Lind and Japan’s Hina Hayata, who headline the Men’s and Women’s Singles events. Both are strong contenders for the top prize in Lagos. Hayata, 25, is widely regarded as the most successful player in the now-retired ITTF Challenge Series, which began in 2017. Known for her exceptional spin on both wings, she is coached by the experienced Daisuka Ishida. Since her breakthrough at the 2021 WTT Star Contender in Doha, Hayata has claimed five WTT Contender titles and a WTT Star Contender crown. Making her debut in Lagos, she aims to add her first African WTT Contender title to her growing list of achievements. On the men’s side, 13-time Danish champion Anders Lind—who has secured six singles titles along with multiple doubles and mixed doubles crowns—returns to Lagos, where he enjoys strong fan support. The 2025 WTT Contender Tunis runner-up sees Lagos as a favourable battleground, thanks to the passionate local crowd that fuels his performances. Meanwhile, the qualifying rounds have been marked by flashes of brilliance and a fair share of unforced errors. Yet, for the determined competitors, the goal remains the same: a coveted spot in the main draw of the singles events, where the sport’s elite await. With only a limited number of slots available, the journey from the qualifiers to the main stage has been anything but easy. Local Nigerian players have featured prominently in both the Men’s and Women’s Singles, joined by fellow African hopefuls, all vying for a breakthrough moment. While some players wrapped up their campaigns on Day 1, the action intensified on Day 2—Wednesday, July 23—as the final contenders for the main draw began to emerge. The spotlight will also shift to the Doubles and Mixed Doubles events, which kick off from the first round. Unseeded pairs will battle for a place among the top teams, hoping to make their mark in the elite rounds of the competition.
