News
Aruna Eliminated From ITTF World Cup After Two Defeats
- Quadri Aruna, Nigeria’s table tennis star, exited the ITTF World Cup Macao 2024 after two defeats in the group stage.
- Egypt’s Omar Assar and Hana Goda also faced elimination.
- The tournament moves into the intense knockout stage to determine the ultimate champion.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Nigerian table tennis icon, Quadri Aruna, saw his journey at the ongoing ITTF World Cup Macao 2024 come to an end on Wednesday after he was eliminated from the tournament.
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Falling short of his initial momentum, the 35-year-old couldn’t capitalize on his promising start to the tournament. He suffered a 3-1 defeat (12-10, 11-9, 11-9, 3-11) against Portugal’s Marcos Freitas in the crucial Group 15 match of the men’s singles event.
The loss marked his second defeat in the tournament, following a 4-0 defeat against Croatia’s Daniel Gonzalez the day before.
Despite his elimination with two losses, Quadri Aruna, born in Ibadan, maintains his status as Africa’s top performer in the tournament. He notably reached the quarter-finals in 2014 in Germany.
Quadri Aruna in action
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Omar Assar was at his very best against the Swedish national champion Truls Moregardh, putting up a commanding display to beat the European star 3-1 (15-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5), and which captivated fans at the Galaxy Arena.
The Egyptian had on Monday secured his spot in the knockout stage of the $1 million prize money championship after defeating Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan 4-0, to emerge winners of Group 16.
Also, African Champion Hana Goda’s journey in the women’s singles came to an end after a 4-0 loss (11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9) to Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz in the last group match.
Egypt’s trio, Mohamed El-Beiali, Yousra Helmy, and Mariam Alhodaby bid farewell to the tournament, alongside Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou, who suffered defeats in all her group matches, leading to her elimination.
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As the first stage wraps up, the top performer from each group will advance to Stage 2. This phase will introduce an intense knockout draw featuring a best-of-seven-game format, culminating in a showdown where players vie head-to-head until a champion is crowned.
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