Table Tennis: Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri qualifies for ITTF World Cup

Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has qualified for the International Table Tennis Federation World Cup in France.

Quadri booked his place in France after playing out his heart to surmount his continental rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar, in the final of the 2017 ITTF Africa Cup taking place in Morocco.

The final games, men and women, were played on Monday.

Having conquered Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali 4-0 in the semi-final, Aruna Quadri showed his class to beat Omar Assar 4-3 in the men’s singles final to the admiration of the fans at the venue.

Quadri who played without any coach was calm throughout the encounter even when Assar was leading, he never gave up but continued to fight.

Without any doubt, the match has been described as a good showcase as both players played their heart out to the excitement of the fans at the venue.

An elated Aruna Quadri said he believes luck was in his favour as his opponent also played well.

“I am so happy and I think luck was in my favour and I look forward to play in the ITTF World Cup later this year in France,” Quadri said.

In the women’s singles final, Olufunke Oshonaike surrendered to Egypt’s Dina Meshref in the final as the Nigerian lost 4-0.

Aruna Quadri and Dina Meshref will represent Africa at this year’s ITTF World Cups later in the year.