Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has returned to the top 20 of the ITTF world rankings following his impressive run to the semi-finals of the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, despite a tough defeat to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
Aruna, previously ranked 21st , moved up in the rankings after a strong showing at the tournament. His victories over Spain’s Alvaro Robles and Korea’s Park Ganghyeon secured him a spot in the last four, making him the only African male player to achieve this feat twice at a WTT Star Contender event.
However, Aruna fell short in the semi-final against Harimoto, the tournament’s top seed. The Japanese sensation proved too strong, winning in straight sets — 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 — to deny Aruna a place in the final.
Despite the loss, Aruna’s remarkable performances in Doha earned him valuable ranking points and boosted his global standing.
Nigeria’s other player in the top 100, Olajide Omotayo remained in the 96th position, while Matthew Kuti dropped two positions to 198th in the world ranking. Mustapha Mustapha and Abdulrahaman Abdullahi complete the country’s top five at 399th and 400th in the world.
In the women’s ranking, Offiong Edem – who has announced her retirement from international duties – remained the top-ranked player in the country, maintaining 103rd in the country ahead of Fatimo Bello (129th ), Hope Udoaka (189th ), Ajoke Ojomu (193rd) and Aishat Rabiu (233rd ) in second, third, fourth and fifth respectively in the country.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
