Nigeria Table-Tennis Star, Quadri Aruna is set to lead a star-studded lineup for the second edition of WTT Contender to be held in Lagos.
Following the close of registration for the first WTT Series in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nigerian star is ready to make his WTT Series debut on home soil. Currently ranked World No.19, Aruna aims to capture his first WTT title, having not advanced beyond the quarterfinals since 2022.
Joining the tournament is Brazilian, Hugo Calderano, a top seed in Lagos with five singles titles in the WTT Series. However, Calderano has yet to secure a podium finish in 2024, having lost in two finals this season. Table-Tennis stars such as Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who returns after finishing as runner-up in 2023 losing the title to Zhou Qihao of China in the 2023 final.
In the women’s singles, South Korean, Shin Yubin is set to defend her title. Yubin, World No. 7, won in Lagos in 2023 and aims to secure her first win of 2024. India’s Sreeja Akula could pose the biggest challenge to Yubin. Akula, in excellent form, has already won two WTT Feeder Series events this year and is eyeing a rapid rise in the global rankings.
WTT Contender Lagos 2024 will take place from June 19th to 23rd 2024 at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall. The event offers a total prize pool of $80,000 and 400 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Points for the champions.
