Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Hana Goda are among the elite players gearing up for the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025, set to take place at Hala Tivoli in Slovenia.
The tournament, scheduled for 20 June, will feature five fiercely contested events and a total prize pool of $300,000.
|
|
Singles champions will walk away with $17,000 and 600 valuable ITTF World Ranking points, while doubles champions will receive $5,500 and an equal number of ranking points.
Africa’s top-ranked male player, Quadri Aruna, currently world No. 24, enters the competition as the No. 14 seed in the men’s singles.
|
|
|
|---|
He has been granted a bye into the second round (last 32), where he will meet the winner between Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and China’s Xu Haidong.
Similarly, Egypt’s teenage sensation Hana Goda, seeded No. 15 in the women’s singles, will also skip the opening round.
She is set to face either Japan’s Sakura Yokoi or South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui in the round of 32.
The Ljubljana event has attracted a world-class lineup, setting the stage for a thrilling week of high-level table tennis action.
Leading the men’s singles field is Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, runner-up at the 2025 World Championships and defending champion in Ljubljana.
Nicknamed “The Thrill from Brazil,” Calderano is aiming to replicate last year’s success on Slovenian soil.
He’ll be joined by other global stars including Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, fresh off a title win at WTT Star Contender Doha 2025; France’s Felix Lebrun, champion at WTT Champions Montpellier 2024; and local hero Darko Jorgic of Slovenia.
READ ALSO: NSF: 46 gold medals up for grabs as Table Tennis action hots at Gateway Games
In the women’s singles, Japan’s Miwa Harimoto headlines the draw after winning the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 title.
Her compatriot Hina Hayata, last year’s champion in Ljubljana, will be looking to retain her crown.
Other top contenders include South Korea’s Shin Yubin, eyeing her first WTT Star Contender title, alongside Romania’s Bernadette Szocs and China’s Qian Tianyi, both expected to mount serious challenges for the championship.
The stage is set for a thrilling showcase of speed, precision, and world-class competition in Slovenia.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
