Nigeria’s sole flagbearer at the ITTF World Cup, Quadri Aruna saw off Puerto Rico’s Daniel Gonzalez 4-0 in his opening group game in the early hours of Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Nigerian, drawn in Group 15 of the Macao 2024 tournament alongside Gonzalez and Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, cruised to 11-6, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 win over the Puerto Rican.
Aruna, who remains the first and only African to have reached the quarter-finals stage of the ITTF World Cup, will face off against Freitas in his second group game, with the Portuguese star currently enjoying the edge in their recent meetings.
The winner of the clash between the two familiar foes will top the group and progress to the second round of the competition after Freitas also saw off Gonzalez 4-0 on Monday.
