Sports
WTT: Aruna Reaches Last 16, Battles Korean Foe
Aruna Quadri will faceoff with South Korea’s Cho Dae-seong in the men’s singles round of 16 of the World Table Tennis Saudi Smash 2024, taking place in Jedda.
The Nigerian once again showed character as he came from behind to edge Lee Sang Su of South Korea 3-2 (9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11, 7, 11-1, 11-3) in a round of 32 slugfest at King Abdullah Sports City Infinity Arena on Monday morning.
The nail-biting win set up the potentially scintillating clash with the 21-year-old world No. 45, who will be looking to avenge the defeat of his compatriot.
Aruna made a flying start to his Saudi Smash campaign by coming from behind to beat Sharath Kamal Achanta 2-3 (11-8, 13-8, 8-11, 5-11, 11-13), who won two singles titles at the ITTF Pro Tour, the first in 2010, and reached the semi-finals in the men’s singles event at the 2017 World Championship.
Aruna’s virtuoso performance in the gruelling encounter delighted Nigerian women’s table tennis legend, Funke Oshonaike, who rooted ceaselessly for him and shared her excitement on her Facebook page after the match.”
What a match between the experience legend Achanta and our own Quadri Aruna! I was so very tensed because Achanta was leading 2-0. Aruna eventually won 3-2. yesssssssss! Me and table tennis sha na 5/6,” Oshonaike, the only woman to have participated in seven Olympic Games, said.
Battle-weary Aruna shared his experience in the match on the official website of the tournament saying, “It was really, really difficult to come back from 0-2 down. I was 8-2 up in the first game and 9-5 up in the second set, but I lost both, so I almost gave up. But I told myself not to give up, and the spirit of never giving up made the difference. In the end, I was very happy to win. I knew it was going to be 50/50 today. Achanta is a good player and a legend. I have learned a lot from him growing up. But I wasn’t intimidated. Thanks to all the fans who came to support me. They didn’t let me give up. They were the reason I kept on fighting, so I want to say thanks to all of them.
“The $2m prize money Saudi Smash 2024 is the sixth tournament of the WTT Series 2024. It started May 1 and will run through May 11 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has expressed his satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ preparation ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali.
The team, now under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Eric Chelle, held its first training session on Tuesday afternoon.
Reacting to the new squad, Wizkid took to his X handle on Wednesday, writing, “New Super Eagles team! (I) love the energy,” he wrote.
The crucial qualifier is set to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda on Friday, March 21, with kickoff scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
Following the match, Nigeria will return home to face Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles must secure maximum points from both fixtures to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria’s current squad features several in-form players, including Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Genk’s Tolu Arokodare and Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
The match against Rwanda will be Chelle’s first game in charge of the three-time African champions, who are desperate for a positive result to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.
The Super Eagles last played at the Amahoro Stadium in September 2024, where they were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda.
The Nationwide League One (NLO) has mandated the clubs that make up the Division One and U19 Youth League to complete their players’ facial verification process.
The Secretariat of the nation’s third-tier league regulatory body via its media department gave reasons on the essence of exercise as the March 30th players’ registration deadline draws near.
According to the NLO, clubs must complete facial verification for each player during registration to prevent duplicate registrations.
As regards players that have already been registered, the NLO explained that if a player fails verification (already registered with another club), the holding club must release the player. The NLO Admin will confirm the release and allow the verification of such a player for the new club.
The NLO stressed the importance of the release documentation and Registration Window Closure.
Releasing clubs must upload the player’s release document. This document will be reviewed and verified by the NLO Admin.
After the registration window closes, clubs cannot sign new players.
With the introduction of the new facial recognition technology, all clubs must register both their existing and new players.
These updates ensure a fair and transparent registration system. For assistance, clubs should contact NLO support.
Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will contest in the maiden WTT Contender Chennai in India after he was picked as a replacement for German star, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The WTT Contender Chennai is the fifth WTT event of the year and marks the first staging of the series in the City.
The event which has a prize purse of $270,000 will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India from March 25 to 30.
Aruna and nine other players have been confirmed for the men’s singles including his African rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar.3.
Other players confirmed so far include Denmark’s Jonathan Groth (17), Hugo Calderano of Brazil (6) and world number four Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
The 36-year-old has played in two WTT events this year.
In January, he made it as far as the semi-finals in the WTT Star Contender in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto.
Last Wednesday, the world number 19 crashed out of the WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to world number two Wang Chuqin of China in their round of 32 clash.
Aruna will hope to put up a more commanding show in India, as he has been tipped to shine by the world body.
“Stay tuned. There’s more to come from Quadri Aruna in India,” WTT captioned Aruna’s video on Monday after announcing his participation.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah also said the competition is a bold step forward as they expect Aruna and other players to deliver a memorable spectacle.
“Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India. With a venue like the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the support of Tamil Nadu’s government, we are ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle for players and fans.”
