Quadri Aruna will kick off his New Year campaign as the fifth seed at the WTT Star Contender Doha, which began on Wednesday with the main draw at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar.
Also, Egypt’s Dina Meshref will commence her quest for glory in the second round of the Women’s Singles against China’s Chen Yi.
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The 2024 Africa Cup champion returns to the international scene after excusing herself from the 2024 African Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Aruna, who started 2025 as the second highest-rated African, is ranked 21st in the latest ITTF rankings, just behind Egypt’s Omar Assar, who is ranked 18th in the world.
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As one of the top-ranked players at the WTT Star Contender Doha, Aruna is seeded No. 5, following Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, Germany’s Dan Qui, Germany’s Patrick Franciska, and Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic, who are the top four seeds in the Men’s Singles.
Doha has been a favourable venue for Aruna, as he reached the semifinal stage at the 2022 edition. He hopes to replicate or surpass that achievement this year.
As one of the top seeds and the only African competing in the Men’s Singles, Aruna has received a bye to the second round (round of 32), where he is expected to face the winner between England’s Liam Pitchford and Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko.
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Meshref got a bye to the second round as the 16th seed in the Women’s Singles as she is hoping to break her losing streak against the Chinese players this year.
The Lusail Sports Arena sets the stage for the six-day event, starting with two days of qualifying action from January 6 to 7, followed by the main draw from January 8 to 11.
A total prize pool of $275,000 is at stake, and the WTT Star Contender Doha 2025 offers players a prime opportunity to gain significant points in the ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings.
The tournament also marks the return of former champions, including Tomokazu Harimoto, the winner of the first-ever WTT Star Contender Doha in 2021.
Seven-time event champion in the WTT Series, Hina Hayata of Japan, is another player looking to rekindle her past success in Doha.
Additionally, surprise packages from the 2022 event, Andrej Gacina and Miyuu Kihara, will also be returning.
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