Africa's Table Tennis stars, Aruna, Assar, dumped out of 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing

Posted : 13 March 2025

It was a day of major upsets at the ongoing 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing as Africa's table tennis stars, such as Aruna Quadri and Omar Assar, were dumped out of the competition.

Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri exited the 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing in the first round after losing 3-0 to second seed and world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China.

In their first-ever competitive meeting, Aruna, who recently finished second at the ITTF Africa Cup in Tunisia, could not handle Wang. The 24-year-old Chinese player overpowered him in straight sets.

Wang recorded scores of 11-6, 13-11, and 11-7 to finish off the more experienced Aruna and progress to the next round, where he will face Alexis Lebrun, who dug deep to beat Japan’s Shunsuke Togami 3-2 (12-14, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8).

Meanwhile, Africa’s No. 1 and reigning ITTF Africa Cup champion Omar Assar was also eliminated in the first round following a 3-0 loss to Germany’s Qiu Dan.

Assar, 33, was comfortably beaten by the 28-year-old German, who had scores of 11-3, 11-6, and 11-8 to progress to the next round, where he will face the winner between seventh seed Truls Moregard of Sweden and Denmark’s Jonathan Groth.

Africa’s hopes, however, now rely on 17-year-old Hana Goda, with the Egyptian set to face South Korean sensation Shun Yu-bin in the first round on Thursday, 13 March, in the women’s singles category.

Goda’s compatriot Dina Meshref was beaten 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11) on Tuesday by Korean star Kim Nayeong in the first round.

The $800,000 prize money 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing event has 32 players in both the men’s and women’s singles jostling for the crown from 11-16 March.

After his victory over Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, Wang Chuqin of China said that studying videos of Aruna defeating his compatriots was crucial to his preparation.

In spite of facing each other for the first time in a competitive event, the match lived up to fans’ expectations, with Aruna putting up a strong performance against the Chinese superstar.

Chuqin, who was the runner-up at the 2024 WTT Champions Chongqing, endured some tense moments in his first-ever clash with Aruna but ultimately secured a 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-7) victory.

The former World No. 1 comfortably won the first game by a five-point margin but had to rally from a 5-9 deficit in the second game.

The third game followed the script for Wang, who maintained his lead and closed out a well-deserved win.

Aruna’s trademark forehand earned him five consecutive points, creating challenging moments for Chuqin. However, a timely timeout for Aruna shifted the momentum, allowing Chuqin to win the second game 13-11.

Reflecting on the match, Chuqin said, “I was thoroughly prepared for tough challenges.

“I watched videos of his previous matches, especially those where he defeated my teammates. Aruna has bested 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.

Regarding the second game, he added, “Initially, I aimed to suppress my opponent using my serves to create better rally opportunities. However, he adapted to my serves, making it difficult for me to deliver high-quality shots. I then decided to engage in a 50-50 rally and gradually turned the situation around.”

Acknowledging the significance of the win, Chuqin said, “Winning this first match against Aruna is a big boost for my upcoming matches. He’s a strong player with a unique style that challenges me. Overcoming the crucial second set built my confidence and helped me adapt to the venue.”

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).

Egypt’s Hana Goda will face 2023 WTT Contender Lagos champion Shin Yubin of South Korea in the first round of the Women’s Singles.

Africa's Table Tennis stars, Aruna, Assar, dumped out of 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics