Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri is now the first African table tennis player to be ranked in top 15 in the latest ITTF Ranking.
In the Week 37 of September 14 ranking released by the World table tennis ruling body, Aruna who finished as runner up at the just concluded men’s singles 2021 ITTF African Championships staged in Cameroon moved up the ranking ladder to be rated 15.
Coming after a disappointing outing at the Tokyo Olympics, the Nigerian becomes the first African to attain such height in the world ranking to erase Omar Assar’s record of world number 16 set by the Egyptian in January 2018.
This ranking is coming after Aruna unbeaten run came to an end as he lost the final of the tournament in Cameroon 4-1 to Assar, and with his performance, the former World Table Tennis Player of the Year gained ranking points to join the elite club in the world. Also his partnership with Bode Abiodun garnered enough points to be number 20 in the ITTF men’s doubles world ranking.
For emerging as the men’s singles champion in Cameroon, the Egyptian Omar Assar gained eight steps up in the ranking to be rated 28th in the latest ranking.
Ahmed Saleh who’s Assar’s compatriot got his ranking to 47 position, Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal added 10 points to step up to 59, Nigerian’s Olajide Omotayo is now at 87th position in the new rating.
Meanwhile, China’s Fan Zhendong stays at the top of the ranking as the best rated player in the men’s rating in the world.
