Madeleine Akoumba Ze Stuns Linda Mazri in a Thrilling Three-Game Battle on Day 1 of the individual Championships 2025

The Individual Championships at the All Africa Senior Championships 2025 started today, February 14, at the Japoma Gymnasium in Douala, Cameroon. Players from different African nations stepped onto the courts, hoping to move closer to the prestigious African titles. With strong battles across all categories, the opening day saw some dominant performances, surprise results, and close matches that kept fans engaged.

One of the biggest surprises of the day came in the Women’s Singles as Madeleine Akoumba Ze (Cameroon) pulled off a stunning upset against Linda Mazri (Algeria) in a hard-fought three-game match (21-11, 9-21, 21-18).

Coming into the match as the underdog, Madeleine was not expected to challenge Linda, a well-established player on the African circuit. However, the Cameroonian shuttler displayed astonishing discipline, taking the first game convincingly (21-11). Linda, showing her experience, fought back strongly in the second game, leveling the match with a dominant 9-21 victory.

The deciding game was a tense battle, with both players giving everything on court. Despite the pressure, Madeleine held her nerve and edged out a memorable 21-18 win, sending the home crowd into celebration.

After the match, she spoke exclusively to BCA TV, expressing her emotions:

“I did not think that I could win this match, but I believed in myself and put all my training into the match and the job was done. It is true that I prepared well for this year and the results are definitely speaking, and I am happy. Now the job is not to dwell on this win, but to try to get more wins and upset a few. I will do my maximum to be able to bring a medal for my country, and now I have put this objective in my mind—that maybe not this edition, or maybe not next edition, but I will definitely have a target for the Women’s Singles category.”

With this victory, Madeleine has made a strong statement and will now aim to continue her impressive run in the tournament.

Mauritius had mixed results in the Women’s Singles. Elsa How Hong (Mauritius) had a smooth victory against Mado Promesse Ngo Hiol (Cameroon) (21-9, 21-7), but her sister, Chiara How Hong, lost a close match to Yasmina Chibah (Algeria) (17-21, 19-21).

Another interesting match was between Malak Ouchefoun (Algeria) and Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan (Nigeria, Seed #7). Malak pushed hard, but Dorcas used her experience to edge out a win (21-19, 23-21).

Other key results in Women’s Singles:

• Tracy Naluwooza (Uganda, Seed #5) lost a close battle to Mathilde Lepetit (Réunion) (21-17, 18-21, 21-14).
• Johanita Scholtz (South Africa, Seed #2) dominated her match against Isamar Ayang Ebee Mba (Equatorial Guinea), winning (21-6, 21-3).

Men’s Singles – Round of 64 & 32

The Men’s Singles matches saw some strong performances from top players. Joseph Emmanuel Emmy (Nigeria) had an easy win over Daniel Steyn (South Africa), finishing the match in straight games (21-11, 21-5). Kenneth Comfort Mwambu (Uganda) also showed great control against Loic Antoine Nanicaoudin (Réunion), winning (21-8, 21-14).

Meanwhile, Lucas Douce (Mauritius) had a tough fight against Driss Bourroum (Morocco). Lucas started strong by taking the first game (21-17), but Driss made a comeback, winning the next two games (14-21, 16-21) to take the match.

Some other results in Men’s Singles:

• Amos Muyanja (Uganda) won a long match against Miguel Vigario (South Africa) in three games (21-11, 20-22, 21-12).
• Robert Summers (South Africa) dominated Muzafaru Lubega (Uganda), winning (21-18, 21-8).
• Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori (Nigeria, Seed #2) secured a solid win against Mohamed Abdelaziz Ouchefoun (Algeria) (21-11, 21-14).

Men’s Doubles & Women’s Doubles – Round of 32

In the Men’s Doubles, Abiel Kiros & Hermon Michael (Eritrea) struggled against Abdelrahman Abdelsattar & Mahmoud Montaser (Egypt), losing (11-21, 9-21). Michel Henri Assembe & Félix Michel Kemene Atangana (Cameroon) also had a difficult match, losing (10-21, 5-21) to Caden Kakora & Robert Summers (South Africa).

Mixed Doubles – Round of 32

The Mixed Doubles matches saw some quick games. Kenneth Comfort Mwambu & Tracy Naluwooza (Uganda) lost (13-21, 16-21) against Robert Summers & Amy Ackerman (South Africa). Momoh Nusa & Zainab Damilola Alabi (Nigeria) also lost their match to Caden Kakora & Johanita Scholtz (South Africa) (15-21, 15-21).

Meanwhile, Lucas Douce & Elsa How Hong (Mauritius) played a great match against Xavier Chan Fung Ting & Alison Bradel (Réunion), winning comfortably (21-5, 21-12).

What’s Next?

This is just the beginning of an exciting tournament, and there is still so much more to come! Day 2 of the Individual Event promises more gripping matches, passionate battles, and surprising moments. Make sure to stay tuned to BCA TV tomorrow, Saturday 15th February, for full coverage of all the action. Fans can watch the matches live on our YouTube Channel and Facebook page, where we will bring you every smash, drop, clear, slice and every victory as it happens. For the latest updates, match schedules, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content, join our WhatsApp channel and stay connected with us throughout the tournament. Don’t miss a moment, Day 2 is going to be even more exciting!