Africa’s leading table tennis stars endured a difficult start to the year at the WTT Champions Doha, as Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Hana Goda of Egypt exited the singles event early at the $500,000 tournament in Qatar, Afrosport reports.
The first setback came on Wednesday, when Egypt’s Omar Assar was beaten 3–1 by Japan’s Shunsuke Togami in the opening round. Despite taking the lead, Assar was unable to sustain his momentum against the world No. 32, bringing his Doha campaign to a premature end.
Aruna’s challenge ended in more straightforward fashion, as China’s sixth seed Liang Jingkun proved too strong in a 3–0 win. The Nigerian showed flashes of his trademark power, but Jingkun’s control and consistency ensured a comfortable passage into the next round.
In the women’s singles, Hana Goda came closest to producing a breakthrough for Africa but eventually fell to former world No. 1 Zhu Yuling of Macao in a high-quality contest. The experienced Yuling, fresh from a standout 2025 season highlighted by her United States Smash title, relied on her composure at key moments to see off the Egyptian teenager.
She lost the first game 11–8 but responded impressively to level the match with an emphatic 11–5 win in the second.
The encounter intensified in the third and fourth games, with long rallies and fine margins defining the outcome. The Egyptian pushed Yuling to 15–13 in the third and 12–10 in the fourth, but the former world No. 1 held firm to seal a 3–1 victory.
Despite the defeat, Goda’s performance underlined her growing stature on the world stage. She remains the only African player to have reached the women’s singles quarter-finals at WTT Champions events, achieving the feat at Montpellier in 2024 and Frankfurt in 2025.
Attention now shifts to the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026, scheduled for 13–18 January. Aruna, Assar and Goda are expected to return alongside other African contenders, offering the continent another opportunity to make a strong impression at the Lusail Sports Arena.
