Quadri Aruna will face world number four and tournament third seed, Tomokazu Harimoto in a blockbuster round of 32 clash at the US Grand Smash in Las Vegas on Wednesday, as he continues his quest for a deep run in one of the sport’s most prestigious events.
The match against Harimoto will be the seventh meeting between the two players in the past six years, with Aruna recording two wins in their last three encounters, though the Japanese ace came out victorious in their most recent encounter at the WTT Star Contender Doha earlier this year, dispatching Aruna 3–0 in straight games on January 11.
Their most memorable clash came at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in November 2024, where Aruna staged an upset by edging Harimoto 3–2 in a tense five-game thriller.
That win followed Aruna’s dominant 3–0 triumph over the Japanese prodigy at the 2023 Singapore Smash, a statement result that showed the Nigerian’s explosive forehand.
However, Harimoto had previously enjoyed a strong grip on the head-to-head, defeating Aruna 3–0 at the 2021 Star Contender in Doha, and claiming two resounding wins in 2019, 4–1 at the World Cup in Chengdu and a crushing 4–0 victory at the Hong Kong Open.
Now 22, Harimoto remains one of the sport’s most formidable and complete players. His aggressive right-handed playing style and razor-sharp reflexes under pressure have kept him entrenched in the ITTF top five. He holds a 76 per cent win rate in 2025 and enters the encounter as the third seed.
Aruna, who produced a flawless performance to dispatch Zhou Qihao of China 11–9, 11–8, 11–7 in just under 30 minutes in the first round on Monday, must deliver another high-intensity display to overcome the Japanese star.
Despite an early flurry of points from Zhou in the first game, Aruna remained composed, drawing level at 6–6 from 0-5 and taking control with aggressive forehand attacks and deep serves. He eventually closed out the opener 11–9.
The second game followed a similar script, with Aruna overturning a 3–5 deficit to lead 8–6. A well-timed timeout at 8–9 by the Nigerian steadied the nerves, and he returned to the table with renewed purpose to clinch the second game 11–8.
Zhou attempted a late fightback in the third but could not cope with Aruna’s relentless pressure and clever use of angles. Aruna wrapped up the match 11–7 to seal a 3–0 victory and confirm his place in the next round.
The African number one won 33 points overall, including 19 on his own serve and 14 on Zhou’s serve. He equalled Zhou’s longest winning streak of five consecutive points and managed to come from behind on multiple occasions.
With big ITTF World Ranking points on offer, every round at the US Smash carries major implications. Victors in Las Vegas could earn up to 2,000 ranking points, while quarterfinalists will receive 350. Aruna’s progress through the rounds could see him make significant gains in the global rankings, where he has been dropping in recent weeks after a poor run of results.
Olajide Omotayo, the only other Nigerian in the event, fell short in the men’s singles preliminary round.
The former African Games champion lost 3–1 to Victor Xie in the first qualifying round, with scores of 11–9, 6–11, 4–11, 8–11.
Credit: punchng.com
