n Doha

Africa’s top male player, Quadri Aruna, opened his 2025 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Men’s Singles campaign inside the Qatar University Sports Complex here in Doha with a commanding 4-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9) victory over Brazil’s Victor Ishiy.

The 2024 African champion is one of the top contenders here for the title. 

Other Nigerian players who also began their opening games in flying starts include Olajide Omotayo and Kabirat Ayoola who delivered a gripping performance in the Mixed Doubles. 

The duo edged out Egypt’s Mahmoud Helmy and Hend Fathy in a five-game thriller, winning 3-2 (9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7) to advance to the second round.

Despite a rocky start, dropping the first game, Omotayo and Ayoola showed resilience and tactical brilliance to turn the match around and secure a hard-fought victory.

However, it was a tough day for several African players in the Singles events. Nigeria’s Hope Udoaka fell to Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi in straight sets (3-11, 1-11, 6-11, 8-11), while Egypt’s Aly Ghallab, Ethiopia’s Darara Dufera, and Madagascar’s Fabio Rakotoarimanana also exited early after 4-0 defeats to their respective opponents.

There was better news for Egypt’s Yousra Helmy, who impressed with a 4-1 (11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6) win over Australia’s Jocelyn Lam to move into the second round of the Women’s Singles.

Elsewhere, the tournament saw its first major upset as unseeded Italians Mihai Bobocica and Niagol Stoyanov stunned 12th seeds Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs with a dominant 3-0 (15-13, 11-7, 11-3) win in the Mixed Doubles.

This prestigious global tournament features over 300 athletes from more than 70 member associations, competing across five categories: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Action will continue over nine thrilling days at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall and Qatar University Sports Complex in Doha here.