Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has exited the 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing in the first round after losing 3-0 to second seed and world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China on Wednesday, Afrosport reports.
In their first-ever competitive meeting, Aruna, who recently finished second at the ITTF Africa Cup in Tunisia, could not handle Wang, with the 24-year-old Chinese breezing past his Nigerian opponent in straight sets.
Wang recorded scores of 11-6, 13-11, and 11-7 to finish off the more experienced Aruna and progress to the next round, where he will face Alexis Lebrun after the Frenchman dug deep to beat Japan’s Shunsuke Togami 3-2 (12-14, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8).
Meanwhile, Africa’s No. 1 and reigning ITTF Africa Cup champion Omar Assar has also been eliminated in the first round following a 3-0 loss to Germany’s Qiu Dan on Wednesday.
Assar, 33, was comfortably beaten by the 28-year-old German, who had scores of 11-3, 11-6, and 11-8 to progress to the next round, where he will face the winner between seventh seed Truls Moregard of Sweden and Denmark’s Jonathan Groth.
Africa’s hopes, however, rely on 17-year-old Hana Goda, with the Egyptian set to face South Korean sensation Shun Yu-bin in the first round on Thursday, 13 March, in the women’s singles category.
Goda’s compatriot Dina Meshref was beaten 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11) on Tuesday by Korean star Kim Nayeong in the first round.
The $800,000 prize money 2025 WTT Champions Chongqing event has 32 players in both the men’s and women’s singles jostling for the crown from 11-16 March.
