Nigeria’s table tennis sensation, Quadri Aruna, kickstarted the new year by climbing the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world ranking ladder. Aruna’s outstanding performance in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals bolstered his position to 14th in the latest ITTF rankings.
At the WTT Finals in Doha 2023, Aruna orchestrated a remarkable turnaround, overcoming a 0-2 deficit against world number five Hugo Calderano of Brazil, securing a thrilling 3-2 victory to advance to the quarter-finals, marking one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
The Nigerian, formerly ranked 16th, accrued 265 crucial points following his impressive quarter-final finish at the WTT Finals, elevating his world rating to 1,425 points, surpassing Darko Jorgic of Slovenia, now at 15th place with 1,340 points.
Aruna’s triumphs in 2023, notably his stunning 3-0 win over former world number five Tomokazu Harimoto at the Singapore Smash, earned recognition among WTT’s top five upsets of the previous year.
Expressing his ambitions, Aruna conveyed, “I am dedicated to working harder this year to achieve greater success and propel my ranking further, securing qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Additionally, Aruna joins Egypt’s Omar Assar among the top 20 players set to commence their campaign from the main draw of the 2024 WTT Star Contender, a tournament that began with the preliminary round on Monday at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar, featuring a prize purse of $250,000.
