- Aruna had already been under pressure after losing his opening match to Tomislav Pucar in straight sets
- Matsushima dominated the contest, securing a 3-0 victory in under 18 minutes
- Aruna remains a historic figure in African table tennis, having reached the World Cup quarter-finals
Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has been eliminated from the ITTF World Cup after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Sora Matsushima in his final Group 6 match in Macao.
The encounter, held at the Galaxy Arena, saw Aruna needing a win to stay in contention following his earlier loss, Eko Hot Blog reports.
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However, Matsushima dominated the contest, securing a 3-0 victory in under 18 minutes with scores of 12-10, 11-3, 11-5.
Aruna had already been under pressure after losing his opening match to Tomislav Pucar in straight sets. Despite hopes of a comeback, he struggled to find form against the Japanese opponent.
Matsushima controlled the match throughout, winning the majority of points on both serve and return, while Aruna found it difficult to keep pace despite a short burst of consecutive points.
The result confirms Aruna’s exit from the tournament and continues a challenging run for the 37-year-old on the international stage. He is now without a win in his last 10 major matches, with his most recent victory dating back to September 2025.
Despite the setback, Aruna remains a historic figure in African table tennis, having reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2014.
With his campaign in Macao now over, the Nigerian star will shift focus to the upcoming World Team Table Tennis Championships in London later this month.
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