Nigeria’s top table tennis player, Quadri Aruna, and other leading African stars have been handed challenging first-round fixtures at the 2025 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships scheduled to take place in Qatar from May 17 to 25,.
Aruna will open his men’s singles campaign against Brazil’s Victor Ishiy, while compatriot Olajide Omotayo faces another Brazilian, Leonardo Iizuka. Muiz Adegoke and Matthew Kuti have drawn tough opponents in Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse and Poland’s Samuel Kulczycki respectively.
Other notable African matchups include Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali facing Sweden’s Anton Kallberg, and Omar Assar battling Croatia’s Frane Kojic. Benin’s Kokou Fanny will square off against rising French star Alexis Lebrun, while Tunisia’s Wassim Essid meets Spain’s Juan Perez.
In the women’s singles category, Nigeria’s Hope Udoaka will play Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi, Ajoke Ojomu is set to face Sally Moyland, and Fatimo Bello will challenge Indian ace Manika Batra.
Egyptian sensations Hana Goda and Dina Meshref also face international tests, drawing New Zealand’s Jiamuwa Wu and Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova respectively.
The draw, held at the Mall of Qatar on April 30, signals a return to Doha, which made history in 2004 as the first Middle Eastern host of the championship. Matches will take place at the Lusail Arena and Qatar University Sports Complex.
African players will also feature in the doubles and mixed doubles events. The 2025 edition is expected to deliver world-class competition across five events as the world’s elite vie for top honours.
