Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna will begin his quest for global glory on Saturday, 17 May, as the 2025 ITTF World Championships get underway in Doha, Qatar, Afrosport reports.
Aruna, the first African to reach the quarterfinals at the World Championships, will open his campaign in the men’s singles against Brazil’s Victor Ishiy—a familiar opponent he defeated 4-2 at the 2021 edition in Houston, USA.
The prestigious tournament, which will take place from 17-25 May, will bring together the world’s elite players at the state-of-the-art Lusail Multipurpose Hall and Qatar University Sports Complex as athletes will compete across five major events: Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
This year’s edition of the tournament marks a symbolic return to Doha, 21 years after the Qatari capital became the first Middle Eastern city to host the World Championships in 2004.
Other African representatives in the men’s singles include Ethiopia’s Darara Dufera, who will face Oh Junsung (South Korea); Aly Ghallab (Egypt) will battle Eduard Ionescu (Romania); Fabio Rakotoarimanana (Madagascar) is up against Darko Jorgic (Slovenia); Kokou Fanny (Togo) faces a tough test against Alexis Lebrun (France); Wassim Essed (Tunisia) will lock horns against Juan Perez (Spain); and Mohamed El-Beiali of Egypt will be tested by highly rated Swede Anton Kallberg.
In the women’s singles, African champion Hana Goda of Egypt will face Australia’s Jiamuwa Wu in the first round, while her compatriot Yousra Helmy will tackle Jocelyn Lam (New Zealand).
Other key matchups include Hope Udoaka (Nigeria) against Giulia Takahashi (Brazil); Rochica Sonday (South Africa) will test her resolve against Chen Xingtong (China); Mariam Alhodaby (Egypt) will face Sabine Winter (Germany); and Danisha Patel (South Africa) is up against Andrea Todorovic (Croatia).
The mixed doubles event will also feature strong African representation, with the Nigerian duo of Olajide Omotayo & Kabirat Ayoola drawn against Egypt’s Mahmoud Helmy & Hend Fathy; Fabio Rakotoarimanana & Hanitra Raharimanana (Madagascar) will be tested by Hugo Calderano & Bruna Takahashi (Brazil); Matthew Kuti & Ajoke Ojomu (Nigeria) face Sora Matsushima & Miwa Harimoto (Japan); and Milhane Jellouli & Amina Kessaci (Algeria) are up against Ahmed Korani & Maryam Ali (Qatar).
With top talents from across Africa—including Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Madagascar, and Togo—set to compete, the 2025 ITTF World Championships promises to be a thrilling showcase of skill, resilience, and continental pride.
