Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has overtaken Egypt’s Omar Assar, becoming Africa’s highest-ranked table tennis player, now positioned at 18th globally with 1,290 points. This change follows his remarkable performances, including being the only African male to reach the semifinals in WTT tournaments. On the women’s side, Egypt’s Hana Goda remains the top African female player at 26th globally.
Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has ascended to become Africa’s top-ranked table tennis player, surpassing Egypt’s Omar Assar, according to the latest rankings released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Aruna is now positioned at 18th globally with 1,290 points, a rise of one rank from previous standings. Despite finishing as the runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, Aruna has demonstrated exemplary performances throughout the year, particularly in the World Table Tennis (WTT) tournaments.
Aruna’s advancement is noteworthy; he is the only male African player to have reached the semifinals of the WTT Contender in Doha, mirroring his success from earlier this year. This achievement enabled him to overtake Assar, who recently secured the title at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup but fell from 17th to 19th in the world rankings, accumulating 1,250 points.
In the women’s category, Egypt’s Hana Goda has retained her status as the top female player in Africa, improving her ranking to 26th globally. Her compatriot, Dina Meshref, remains static at 33rd, holding her position as the second-best female player on the continent. Notably, China’s Wang Chuqin remains the second-best player in the world, following Lin Shidong, who continues to lead the global rankings.
Japanese player Tomokazu Harimoto has claimed the third-best position in the world after surpassing China’s Liang Jingkun, following his semifinal achievement in Chongqing. In the women’s rankings, the top five positions remain unchanged, with China’s Sun Yingsha retaining her number one spot after winning at the WTT Champions event in Chongqing.
In summary, Quadri Aruna’s rise to the top of African table tennis rankings highlights his outstanding performances, particularly in international tournaments. His achievements, along with the maintained standings of Hana Goda and others, exemplify the competitive nature of the sport. This update underscores the dynamic environment within the African table tennis scene and reflects ongoing developments in players’ rankings globally.
Original Source: nannews.ng
