Aruna Quadri celebrates his victory over Germany's Benedikt Duda at the ITTF World Championships in Doha | Photo credit: WTT
Aruna Quadri has qualified for the men’s singles round of 16 of the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
The 36-year-old defeated Germany’s Benedikt Duda 4-2 in a round-of-32 match held at the Lusail Sports Arena on Tuesday.
In the 58-minute game, Aruna picked the first set 11-9 before surrendering the next to his German opponent 11-4. The Nigerian took the third set 11-8 but was flattened in the immediate round 11-2.
However, the proceedings’ topsy-turvy swing halted in the final two sets as Aruna grabbed important 12-10 and 11-9 victories and wrapped up the match.
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The triumph was Aruna’s first over Duda since 2019.
Aruna will face either Brazil’s Hugo Calderano or Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 tie on Wednesday.
He is the only Nigerian remaining in the competition after South Korean opponents eliminated Olajide Omotayo and Kabirat Ayoola in the second round of the mixed doubles event.
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17-year-old Hana Goda is the only other African still competing, and she faces China’s Wan Yidi in the women’s singles round of 32.
