Africa’s sole representative, Quadri Aruna, will resume action on Friday, July 5 at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Bangkok, as he squares off against Japanese player, Yukida Uda, in the Second Round of the Men’s Singles in Thailand.
Completesports.com reports that the Nigeria’s poster boy in tennis was absent at the last WTT Lagos Contender on the grounds of medical reasons.
But Aruna, rated as the number four seed by the organisers, in a press release made available to Completesports.com has a history with Uda, having narrowly defeated him 4-3 in a closely contested match at the Hong Kong Open in 2018.
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Uda, already fired up after his victory against Portugal’s Joao Monteiro (3-2) in the first round, poses a formidable challenge for Aruna. The match took place on Friday, July 5, at the Huamark Indoor Stadium.
In his previous outing at the WTT Star Contender in Slovenia, Aruna faced another Japanese star, Sora Matsushima, and suffered a defeat.
However, the Nigerian remains motivated as he looks ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, scheduled to begin later this month in France.
Beyond aiming for his first WTT title, Aruna is determined to accumulate ranking points that will elevate his status when the draws for the Paris Olympic Games Men’s Singles are announced.
As the 2024 Africa Cup champion, Aruna aims to surpass his quarterfinal finish at Rio 2016 and become the first African player to reach the podium at the Olympic Games.
The tournament boasts a total prize pool of $250,000, with 600 ITTF World Ranking Points awarded to the champions.
Defending champions, Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong of China, who secured the triple crown in the 2023 edition, will be eager to retain their titles.
Notably, absent from the Chinese contingent heading to the Paris Olympics, Lin and Chen will strive to amass points for future tournaments.
By Dotun Omisakin
