Nigeria’s highest-ranked table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, has attributed his quarter-final loss at the ongoing World Table Tennis Men’s finals in Doha, Qatar on Thursday to the poor use of his forehand.
Quadri failed to surpass his best ever finish at the tournament, suffering a humiliating 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-4) defeat to world No.1 Fan Zhendong at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha.
Both players matched each other power for power and shot for shot, but it was the Asian champion that prevailed after defeating the Nigerian in 21 minutes
Zhendong, aiming for his second WTT finals title after lifting the men’s singles trophy in 2021, dominated the first set winning 11-6 and despite losing the second set 11-9, Quadri said he could have won the tie if he had drawn level.
“I’m very happy and satisfied with my performance,” Quadri said after his defeat.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Probably, if I had won a set things may have changed a bit. I’m always positive against him, so it’s very possible I beat him someday.
“I came well prepared today (Thursday) in the first set, but my forehand was totally not working. I lost so many points in the first set and that was not normal.”
Quadri’s quest to set a new record as the first African to reach the semi-finals at the WTT Finals came to an end with the loss to the Chinese sensation.
This is the second time Quadri will be playing in the quarter-finals of the tournament as he matched his performance at the WTT Cup Finals 2021
His best moment at the tournament was his remarkable comeback win over Hugo Calderano of Brazil in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
Credit: punchng.com
