Quadri Aruna, Nigeria’s top-ranked table tennis player, kept the flame of African hope flickering at the 2025 ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a thrilling victory over Norway’s Borgar Haug. Aruna, navigating the challenging men’s singles draw, demonstrated resilience and experience in a tightly contested match that stretched to six sets. While Haug, ranked lower than Aruna, put up a spirited fight, the Nigerian ultimately prevailed, showcasing his tactical prowess and mental fortitude. This hard-fought victory positions Aruna as the last African male contender in the singles competition, following the second-round exit of Egypt’s Omar Assar, who narrowly lost a seven-set thriller to Portugal’s Marcos Freitas. Aruna’s next challenge is a formidable opponent, Germany’s Benedikt Duda, a seasoned professional on the international circuit.
The match between Aruna and Haug was a see-saw battle that highlighted the unpredictable nature of competitive table tennis. Aruna seized the initial advantage by taking the first set 11-7. However, Haug responded forcefully, dominating the second set with an 11-3 victory. This set the stage for a captivating back-and-forth exchange, with Aruna claiming the third set 11-8 and Haug immediately leveling the score again in the fourth. The fifth set saw Aruna regain the lead with an 11-7 win, setting up a decisive sixth set. In this final set, Aruna’s experience came to the fore as he navigated the pressure, eventually securing a nail-biting 12-10 victory to seal the match 4-2. This victory underscored Aruna’s determination and his ability to compete at the highest level on the world stage.
On the women’s side, sixteen-year-old Hana Goda of Egypt, the reigning African champion, also shone brightly, securing her place in the third round with a commanding 4-1 victory over Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi. Goda’s performance was a testament to her growing maturity and tactical acumen on the international stage, especially considering her second-round exit at the previous World Championships in Durban in 2023. Despite losing the first set 9-11, Goda regrouped impressively, stringing together four consecutive set wins to claim the match. Her powerful shots, strategic placements, and overall court awareness overwhelmed her opponent.
Goda’s dominance became increasingly evident after the first set. She dictated the pace and rhythm of the rallies, implementing a varied attacking strategy that kept Takahashi constantly on the defensive. While she faced a brief moment of challenge in the fourth set, trailing twice before regaining control, her overall performance reflected a player in command of her skills. This victory highlights Goda’s rapid ascension in the world of table tennis and establishes her as a significant threat in the competition. However, a daunting task awaits her in the next round: a clash against the tournament’s fourth seed, Wang Yidi of China, a highly experienced and accomplished player.
Despite these individual triumphs, the overall performance of African players at the Championships revealed a mixed bag. The exits of Omar Assar in the men’s singles and Hanitra Raharimanana of Madagascar in the women’s singles underscored the demanding nature of the competition. Raharimanana was outmatched by Germany’s Sabine Winter, losing in straight sets. This further highlighted the challenges faced by African players against established European and Asian powerhouses. These losses emphasize the ongoing need for greater investment and development within African table tennis to bridge the gap with the world’s leading nations.
In the Mixed Doubles event, the fortunes of African teams were equally varied. While the Nigerian pair of Olajide Omotayo and Kabirat Ayoola were eliminated in the second round by a South Korean duo, the Egyptian pairing of Youssef Abdelaziz and Mariam Alhodaby enjoyed success, advancing to the third round after defeating their Italian counterparts. Their 3-1 victory offered a glimpse of the potential for African teams to make an impact in doubles competitions. These contrasting outcomes further illustrate the unpredictable and competitive landscape of the World Championships, where even slight variations in performance can drastically alter the outcome of matches. The journey of Aruna and Goda, however, provides a beacon of hope for African table tennis, demonstrating that with talent, dedication, and strategic execution, success on the global stage is within reach.
