Quadri Aruna’s Nigerian table tennis idol begins its 2025 ITTF World Cup tour in Macau, China, defeating Benin’s Abdel-Kader-Kader Salifou 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8).
This match was a rematch of their ITTF African Cup encounter, demonstrating the competitive spirit of Quadri Aruna and Salifou and continued a huge momentum shift.
Aruna effectively maintained his calm at the critical moment, especially under the strong push of Salifou, allowing him to win.
“It’s always challenging to play the first game in such an event.” Aruna commented after the game. “Establishing a 2-0 lead gave me confidence. Despite his fierce counterattack in Games 3 and 4, I managed to stay calm and end the game. I was happy with what I did today.”
Aruna, ranked 20th in the world, showed resilience, especially in Game 4, where he overcame an 8-6 deficit to secure a victory, aiming to improve from the group stage in this new World Cup format, thus positioning himself strongly.
Salifou, who was only second to Benin in a five-year international competition in Benin, showed complimentary determination despite his defeat.
“I have a chance to play and lead 8-6 in Game 4. I thank Aruna for her rallying ability and I will continue to work hard to improve in the next game.” He said.
In other notable performances, Egypt’s Hana Goda convincingly defeated Malaysia’s Seak Hui Li with a 4-0 victory (11-2, 11-4, 11-4, 11-8), showing her skills after her recent African Cup victory.
Meanwhile, Dina Meshref also started with a 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 11-5, 6-11) victory over Zhu Chengzhu, which shows how she experienced in the eighth match at the World Cup.
On the first day, they also participated in impressive performances by Japanese Hainuomu, Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar and China’s Huang Youzheng, all of which were straightforward wins.
Additionally, Eugene Wang had a big surprise for Yukiya Uda’s 2-2 draw, which added to the excitement of the day.
