Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, Africa’s only hope of a medal at the ongoing 2025 ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, will battle familiar foe Hugo Calderano in the fourth round of the men’s singles, Afrosport reports.
The two cross-continental rivals will rekindle their rivalry at the Lusail Arena on Thursday, 22 May.
Both players made history as the first players from Africa and South America to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games at Rio 2016, and each has claimed multiple continental titles and broken into the world’s top 10 rankings.
Aruna’s path to the fourth round in Doha has been impressive. He opened with a commanding 4-0 win over Calderano’s compatriot Victor Ishiy, followed by a thrilling 4-2 victory against Norwegian left-hander Borgar Haug. In the third round, he continued his fine form by overcoming Germany’s Benedikt Duda 4-2.
Calderano, meanwhile, is currently enjoying the best form of his career. He recently captured the 2025 ITTF World Cup title in Macao, defeating world No. 1 Li Shidong and No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China to become the first South American to win the prestigious trophy.
The world No. 3 rallied to a 4-2 win over Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko in the third round on Wednesday after initially falling behind 0-2. He has equally been in top shape in Doha, where he kicked off with a 4-1 win over Mexico’s Rogelio Castro, then delivered a clinical 4-0 performance in the second round against Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, the 2024 African Youth Champion.
Looking ahead to the match, Calderano praised his Nigerian rival:
“Aruna is a very strong player. He’s been in the top 10 before, and everyone knows what he’s capable of. I’m ready for a big fight—he’s a fighter too—so it’s going to be very exciting,” he said.
