Lagos ITTF World Tour: Dina Meshref Hopeful of Egypt’s dominance in Lagos

                                                                       

Dina Meshref is the only known name in the 14-man Egyptian team and she
is ready to lead the North Africans to medal hauls at the International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour, Lagos Open.
                                                                      

 National DailySports gathered that with the absence of defending champion, Egypt’s Nadeen El-Dawlatly, the 20-year-old believes Nigerian players are beatable in front of their fans in Lagos.
                                                                     

 El-Dawlatly defeated Meshref in the final of the championship in 2014  to win her first World Tour title and for this year, she will not be available following her knee injury.
                                                                           

 However, Meshref who recently won the ITTF Africa Senior Championship
in Cairo told National DailySports that they would surely miss the absence of
El-Dawlatly but they are capable of upstaging Nigerians.
                                                                      

“Of course Nadeen’s absence will definitely make a difference, as she
is very well experienced against the Nigerian opponents. However, I
believe that the four other girls accompanying me are capable of beating
                                                        

Nigerians too,” she boasted that being her second visit to Nigeria, Meshref believes the title would not elude her but she admitted that she has to fight over challenge.
                                                             

“Yes I think I can win the tournament this year, and I really hope so.I expect that the competition will be tough especially from the Nigerian players as well as the Chinese from Portugal are for sure worthy competitors, and playing against them isn’t easy. But I expect that most
medals will fortunately be for Egypt,” Meshref said.
                                                                      

The former African Junior champion is also excited with the cheers
from the Lagos fans, which she described as awesome.
                                                                      

“In 2014, I remember it was a great experience to play in Lagos ITTF
World Tour. It was somehow different than any other experience because
the spectators were cheering up so loud and they were very enthusiastic.
                                                                    

 I am very excited to participate for the second time. I really hope I could achieve better results than I did last year,” she added.
                                                                     

Despite exhuming some confidence, Meshref is aware that they must be
at their best to fend off oppositions from other top players. “Of course there are many good players that can stand between Egyptians and the titles. And for me I am very excited to play again in Lagos and make Nigerians happy by watching good table tennis. I really wish I could perform greatly and make my fans happy,” she explained.
                                                                    

 Not forgetting her triumph during the Africa Top 16 Cup, Meshref said
she would want to reenact the form.  “The most memorable moment for me in
Lagos 2014 was when I won the Africa Top 16 Cup to qualify for the 2014
Women’s World cup. It was such a happy and an unforgettable moment for
me and I will be hoping to repeat that form again,” an optimistic
Meshref said.