Egypt’s Omar Assar got the better of long-time rival Quadri Aruna of Nigeria, sealing a 3-1 victory in the first round of the men’s singles at the Europe Smash – Sweden 2025 on Sunday at the Malmö Arena.
The clash between Africa’s two top table tennis stars once again lived up to its billing, with both players producing moments of brilliance. Assar edged a tense opening game 12-10, before Aruna roared back to level with an emphatic 11-4 win in the second.
However, the Egyptian regained control, outclassing Aruna 11-3 in the third game, and held firm in a thrilling fourth set, closing it 11-9 to progress into the round of 32.
Though the contest was evenly balanced statistically—Assar won 38 points to Aruna’s 33—the Egyptian showed greater composure in critical moments, stringing together eight straight points and overturning two deficits to tilt the momentum his way.
Reflecting on the encounter, Assar praised his Nigerian rival, saying:
“Of course, hard luck to Quadri. He’s a great player and he did a very good match, and I wish him the best in the next tournament.”
The result extends Assar’s recent dominance over Aruna, with victories in four of their last five meetings, including the 2025 ITTF African Cup final earlier this year. Still, Aruna remains one of the few African players to consistently trouble the Egyptian, famously beating him in the 2022 Africa Senior Championships final.
Assar will now face world number one Lin Shudong of China in the round of 32, setting up a daunting challenge.
Elsewhere, Swedish favourite Anton Kallberg delighted home fans with a narrow 3-2 win over Belgium’s Martin Allegro at Baltiska Hallen, while Germany’s Ricardo Walther edged Elias Ranefur. Veteran Dimitrij Ovtcharov stunned eighth seed Xiang Peng, and in the women’s singles, China’s He Zhuojia dominated Australia’s Yangzi Liu in straight sets.
