Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna has reclaimed his position as Africa’s highest-ranked player, surpassing Egypt’s Omar Assar in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings released on Tuesday, 18 March.
Aruna now sits at 18th place globally in the Week 12 rankings.
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Despite finishing as runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, Aruna’s strong performances in this year’s World Table Tennis (WTT) tournaments significantly boosted his ranking.
Notably, he remains the only African male player to have reached the semifinals of the WTT Contender Doha, repeating his 2023 achievement with another semifinal finish this year.
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His latest ranking leap saw him move from 19th to 18th, overtaking Assar, who previously held the top spot in Africa.
Assar, despite winning the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, dropped from 17th to 19th in the global rankings.
Denmark’s Jonathan Groth moved up from 18th to claim Assar’s former position at 17th.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali climbed to 45th place following a quarterfinal exit at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, making him the third-highest-ranked African player.
Nigeria’s Omotayo Olajide also made significant progress, re-entering the top 100 at 98th after moving up four places.
Additionally, Muizz Adegoke and Monday Kuti both advanced three spots, now ranked 197th and 200th, respectively.
Women’s category
In the women’s singles category, Egypt’s Hana Goda retained her position as Africa’s top-ranked female player, moving up one place to 26th in the Week 12 ITTF rankings.
Her compatriot Dina Meshref held steady at 33rd, securing her place as Africa’s second-best-ranked female player.
ALSO READ: Africa Cup: Quadri Aruna fails to dethrone Egyptian rival, Omar Assar
Nigeria’s Fatima Bello, ranked 93rd, remains the country’s highest-ranked female player.
On the global stage, China’s Wang Chuqin maintained his position as the world’s second-best player, trailing behind compatriot Lin Shidong, who continues to lead the rankings.
Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto climbed to third place after his semifinal finish at the WTT Champions Chongqing, surpassing China’s Liang Jingkun.
In the women’s rankings, China’s Sun Yingsha retained her No. 1 spot following her successful title defence at the WTT Champions Chongqing.
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