Assar, Aruna out as Goda carries continental hopes at WTT Champions Chongqing 2025
The 2025 ITTF Africa Cup champion, Omar Assar of Egypt and Nigeria’s poster boy Quadri Aruna have been knocked out of the ongoing WTT Champions Chongqing 2025. Assar lost to Germany’s Dang Qiu, 3-0 ( 11-3, 11-6 and 11-8) while Aruna lost to world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China, 3-0 ( 6-11, 11-13, 7-11). […]
nigerian table tennis star, aruna quadri, won the country’s second medal at the ongoing african games in ghana
The 2025 ITTF Africa Cup champion, Omar Assar of Egypt and Nigeria’s poster boy Quadri Aruna have been knocked out of the ongoing WTT Champions Chongqing 2025.
Assar lost to Germany’s Dang Qiu, 3-0 ( 11-3, 11-6 and 11-8) while Aruna lost to world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China, 3-0 ( 6-11, 11-13, 7-11). The duo both lost in the first round.
Earlier, Dina Meshref was the first African to be eliminated, losing to South Korea’s Kim Nayeong 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11).
The only hope for the continental is Egypt’s Hana Goda who will face 2023 WTT Contender Lagos champion Shin Yubin of South Korea in the first round of the Women’s Singles on Thursday, March 13.
During the post match interview, the world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China attributed his victory to the series videos of Aruna he watched while preparing for the challenge.
“I was thoroughly prepared for tough challenges. I watched videos of his previous matches, especially those where he defeated my teammates.
“Aruna has beaten many excellent players, so even though I hadn’t played him before, he left a strong impression on me. With Coach Wang’s support, I was well-prepared for a difficult match. The match largely went as we anticipated, with our planned techniques and tactics,” he said.