Aruna, Assar get opponents at WTT Star Contender Chennai draws today
Africa’s top table tennis players, Quadri Aruna from Nigeria and Omar Assar from Egypt will get to know their opponents at the main draw event of the 2025 WTT Star Contender Chennai, today. Following the conclusion of the two-day qualifying rounds yesterday, the main draw action starts today, March 27 to 30. Ahead of the […]
poster boy of nigerian table tennis, aruna quadri
Africa’s top table tennis players, Quadri Aruna from Nigeria and Omar Assar from Egypt will get to know their opponents at the main draw event of the 2025 WTT Star Contender Chennai, today.
Following the conclusion of the two-day qualifying rounds yesterday, the main draw action starts today, March 27 to 30.
Ahead of the tournament, Aruna and Omar were listed among the top seeds, receiving byes to the second round (last 32) in the Men’s Singles, where they will begin their campaigns.
This prestigious tournament, with a prize pool of $275,000, has attracted elite players from around the globe, including world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan and Brazil’s world No. 5 Hugo Calderano.
Harimoto and Calderano are the top two seeds in the Men’s Singles, followed by Denmark’s Jonathan Groth as the third seed. Aruna, the highest-ranked African player, is the fourth seed, with Assar closely behind as the fifth seed.
Aruna, a late replacement for Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, aims to improve on his second-round finish in 2024 with another strong performance in India.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium will host the competition over the next five days, featuring top table tennis talent across five disciplines.
The tournament offers not only a substantial prize pool but also crucial ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points, making every match highly competitive.
In the Men’s Singles Qualifying, Nigeria-born Italian national champion John Oyebode, the No. 3 seed, showcased his dominance by defeating local hopeful Arnav Karnavar (11-4, 11-5, 11-2) in just 16 minutes. Oyebode now faces Abhinandh Pradhivadhi in the final qualifying round for a spot in the main draw.