Aruna ousts British champion to progress at WTT Star Contender Doha

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, kicked off his 2025 with a significant victory yesterday, by defeating British champion Liam Pitchford. This win propelled him to the third round of the Men’s Singles at the WTT Star Contender Doha in Qatar.

Earlier in the competition, Egypt’s Dina Meshref was unable to overcome China’s Chen Yi, exiting the Women’s Singles in the second round with a 3-1 loss.

As the only remaining African competitor and the fifth seed, Aruna navigated the challenging style of Pitchford to avoid an early exit.

Despite losing the first game 10-12, Aruna bounced back to win the next three games at 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, securing his spot in the third round.

Next, Aruna will face Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who also advanced by defeating a Japanese contender in the second round.

The Men’s Singles draw saw a major upset with the third seed, Patrick Franziska of Germany, being eliminated in the round of 32. Franziska initially led against Park Ganghyeon of the Korea Republic but ultimately lost 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).

Frenchman Thibault Poret continued his impressive run in Doha, defeating No.14 seed Lim Jonghoon of Korea Republic (11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8) to reach his first round of 16 at the WTT Star Contender stage.