Nigeria’s top table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, saw his impressive run at the 2025 WTT Champions Macao come to an end on Friday morning, following a 3-1 defeat to Germany’s Patrick Franziska in the Round-of-16, Afrosport reports.
The 36-year-old, currently ranked 26th in the world, fell 3-1 (8-11, 5-11, 11-13, 7-11) to world number 18 Franziska, who now advances to the quarterfinals. It marks the second time the two players have met in a major eventwith the German emerging victorious on both occasions.
Aruna had opened his campaign in Macao with a strong 3-1 win over China’s Huang Youzheng but was unable to maintain that momentum against Franziska. Despite taking the first game, the Nigerian was unable to contain the German’s consistent pressure, ultimately bowing out in four tightly contested sets.
The $800,000 WTT Champions Macao has already seen several major upsets, including the early exit of third seed Tomokazu Harimoto, who lost to China’s Xue Fei. Other notable departures include Europe’s Simon Gauzy, Anton Kallberg, and Africa’s Omar Assar.
Defending champion Lin Shidong remains in the hunt, alongside top contenders Wang Chuqin and Lin Yun-Ju — with Wang and Lin Yun-Ju now set for a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown.
With Macao behind him, Aruna will now turn his attention to upcoming international events as he continues to lead the charge for African table tennis on the global stage.
