Aruna seeks fresh start at WTT Champions Doha
Nigeria’s table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, begins his 2026 season today at the WTT Champions Doha in Qatar, determined to rebound after a rare setback in 2025. For the first time since the inception of the WTT Cup Finals in 2021, no African player qualified for the year-ending event, as both Aruna and Egypt’s Omar […]
Nigeria’s table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, begins his 2026 season today at the WTT Champions Doha in Qatar, determined to rebound after a rare setback in 2025. For the first time since the inception of the WTT Cup Finals in 2021, no African player qualified for the year-ending event, as both Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar failed to secure a top‑16 ranking based on their performances last season.
Although Aruna concluded 2025 as Africa’s highest‑ranked male player and had been a consistent presence at the Cup Finals since its inception, he narrowly missed the qualification cut, marking a significant moment in his otherwise distinguished career.
At the Lusail Sports Arena, Aruna faces a formidable opening‑round challenge against China’s Liang Jingkun. Their encounter reignites a compelling rivalry: Aruna famously defeated Jingkun at the 2021 WTT Cup Finals, but the Chinese star exacted revenge with a 4–1 win during their first meeting at the 2018 Korean Open. The Doha clash will be their third competitive meeting, with both players intent on gaining the edge.
Joining Aruna in Doha is Hana Goda, Africa’s top‑ranked female player from Egypt, who will meet former world No. 1 Zhu Yuling of Macao in her opening match. Like Aruna, Goda missed out on the 2025 WTT Cup Finals, falling short of the required ranking. Meanwhile, Assar endured a tough start to the season, losing 3–1 to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami in his first‑round match, despite winning the opening game.
The WTT Champions Doha event offers critical ranking points and a portion of the $500,000 prize pool, and represents the first time Qatar has hosted the prestigious season‑opening tournament, underscoring its growing importance on the world table tennis calendar.
Aruna’s career is distinguished by historic achievements and global impact. He made history as the first African to reach the Olympic quarter‑finals in table tennis at Rio 2016, a milestone for the continent. He became the first African man to break into the ITTF world top 10 rankings in May 2022 and has frequently ranked inside the world’s top 20.
Aruna remains the only African male player to reach the semi‑finals of WTT Contender events, including multiple appearances in Doha. His honours include multiple ITTF Challenge titles, African championship golds, Commonwealth Games medals, and successive Nigeria Open titles.
Despite his success, Aruna has endured high‑profile losses, including elimination at the 2024 ITTF World Cup group stage and a semi‑final defeat to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto at the WTT Star Contender Doha, which denied him a finals berth. He also lost the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup final to rival Omar Assar, reflecting the competitive challenges he continues to face on both the continental and global stage.