Omar Assar, right back, and Dina Meshref, left back, won the mixed doubles title at the ITTF African Championships ©Getty Images

Egypt continued their dominance of the mixed doubles at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Championships at the Versatile Sports Palace in the capital of Cameroon Yaoundé as Omar Assar and Dina Meshref saw the country win it for the fifth consecutive tournament.

Meshref has featured in all five of those victories, and Assar in four of them.

The pair beat their compatriots Khalid Assar and Yousra Helmy in straight games 11-6, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8.

Earlier in the day, they thrashed Algeria’s Sami Kherouf and Lynda Loghraibi 11-3, 11-1, 11-2, 12-10 in the semi-finals and Taiwo Mati and Cecilia Akpan of Nigeria 11-0, 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 in the quarter-finals.

Assar also reached the men’s doubles last four today with Ahmed Saleh after a thrilling 9-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-4, 11-9 victory in a seven-game clash with Tunisia’s Youssef Ben Attia and Aboubaker Bourass.

Nigeria has two pairs in the semi-finals after wins for Azeez Solanke and Samuel Boboye, and Quadri Aruna and Bode Abiodun.

They will be joined by Algeria’s Sami Kherouf and Mohamed Sofiene Boudjadja.

The women’s doubles semi-finals will be made up of two Egyptian and two Nigerian pairs.

Men's singles defending champion Quadri Aruna progressed in both the singles and doubles events in Yaoundé ©Getty Images
Men's singles defending champion Quadri Aruna progressed in both the singles and doubles events in Yaoundé ©Getty Images

Farah Abdel-Aziz and Yousra Helmy, and Mariam Alhodaby and Marwa Alhodaby from Egypt booked their places in the last four with straight games wins.

Olufunke Oshonaike and Fatimo Bello, and Offiong Edem and Akpan will represent Nigeria in the semi-finals.

The first two rounds of the men’s and women’s singles were also held today.

Assar cruised past Kenya’s Laban Justine Msafari 11-4, 11-2, 11-6, 11-1 and Cameroon’s Cyril Nyuyuni Bernsah 11-1, 11-1, 11-5, 11-3 to set up a round of 16 tie with Ivory Coast's Oba Kizito Oba in the men's tournament.

In the top half of the draw, defending champion Aruna came from behind to beat Cameroon’s Ylane Batix by four games to one before a straight games win against Senegal’s Hamidou Sow.

He will play Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali in the third round.

In the women’s draw, defending champion Meshref received a bye in the first round before hammering Mauritius’ Ashfani Hosenally 11-1, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 to set up a clash with Abosede Odusanya of Nigeria in the third round.

Helmy is also safely through after a bye and then an 11-3, 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 triumph over South Africa’s Zodwa Maphanga.

She will face Algeria’s Widad Nouari in the round of 16.

The singles tournaments will be played up to and including the quarter-final stage tomorrow, while the doubles medallists are set to be decided.