Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has become the first African to reach the quarter-final stage in the history of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals.
The Nigerian is making a loud statement and his presence is
being felt amidst the array of stars competing at the 2021 ITTF World Table Tennis
Championships Finals taking place at the George R. Brown Convention Centre in
Houston, Texas, United States.
Record Breaker
Earlier on Thursday, Aruna smashed the round of 32 record
set in 2019 by Egypt’s duo of Omar Assar and Ahmed Saleh after beating India’s
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 4-3 (11-9, 7-11, 13-15, 11-3, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7) into the
round of 16.
But late on Friday, November 26, he erased the record to set
another one with a place in the quarterfinal of the championships.
In the round of 16 contest, the 2014 ITTF World Player of
Year improved the record to become the first Nigerian and African player to
feature in the last eight at the World Table Tennis Championship after he
defeated Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson 4-3 (11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8,
11-6).
“It’s amazing. I had to dig deep, and I gave everything I
had. I’m excited about the quarter-final. I’ve been playing very well and the
spirit of never giving up is always there,” said Aruna during a post-match
interview.
Aruna’s historic passage to the last eight at the World
Table Tennis Championship is a testament to the growth of table tennis in
Africa. “It means a lot to me,” he said, “especially for Nigeria and the whole
of Africa. Table tennis is growing very fast in Africa. Now we have several
players in the Top 100.”
Sustaining The Momentum
Reaching the last 8 of the world championship is already a
recording-breaking feat for Aruna, but sustaining the momentum is what will
keep him going.
The Nigerian will confront another Swedish record-breaker
Truls Moregard in the quarter-final clash tonight in Houston. The Swedish
player who is ranked 77th in the world beat South Korea’s Lim Jonghoon 4-3 to
advance at the tournament.
Aruna and the Swede last met in August at the WTT Contender
in Budapest and Moregard won 3-2. The Nigerian will go into the contest on
Saturday night, relying on his current form and the support he has received
worldwide after a record-breaking performance.
Tournament Sparks
According to ITTF, players from Africa, Europe, North
America, South America, and Asia are expected to continue lighting up the
historical event which is being hosted in the Americas for the first time in
its storied history.
While the Asian and European players have not disappointed
with their stellar performances, their challenges on the international stage
are now continuously being tested by emerging powerhouses from the rest of the
world, making table tennis a genuinely global sport.
Kanak Jha also proved he could match up to anyone on his
day. The 21-year-old American is part of the new generation of up-and-coming
stars destined to light up the competition in the table tennis world. He is the
first man American player to reach this stage since 1959.
Although fellow Pan-American Adriana Diaz did not qualify
for the quarterfinals, she achieved her best result during this World
Championships by reaching the round of 16.
The first female table tennis player to represent Puerto
Rico on the Olympic stage hopes many will follow her path. “I want to move the
sport forward, make more people play, and bring even more people to my sport,”
she said after her match.
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, who won his first international
title at WTT Star Contender Doha in September and currently ranks number four,
becomes the first-ever Brazilian to reach the quarterfinals.
While this year’s World Championships quarterfinals truly
showcase the universality of table tennis, the ITTF will do its utmost to
foster new initiatives and ultimately grow the sport worldwide.
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