Hana Goda, a rising 16-year-old table tennis star from Africa, has made history by becoming the first African player to reach the quarterfinals of a World Tennis Table Champions event.
She achieved this remarkable feat by defeating the highly-ranked No. 2 seed, Chen Xingtong, in a thrilling 3-1 victory at the WTT Champions Montpellier 2024.
Chen Xingtong was a finalist at the WTT Champions Macao two years ago. However, at the WTT Champions Montpellier 2024, she faced a surprising challenge from the young African talent Hana Goda. The Montpellier crowd enthusiastically supported the underdog, Goda, who took an early lead and maintained her momentum.
Chen fought back in the third game, but Goda’s determination and skill prevailed. She secured a historic victory, becoming the first African player to reach the quarterfinals of a WTT Champions event.
With top seed Wang Yidi making a shock exit earlier in the day, the Women’s Singles draw in Montpellier has now lost its top-two seeded players. Meanwhile, Hana Goda now turns her attention to Saturday’s program with No.6 seed Cheng I-Ching awaiting.
