Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna has regained his status as Africa’s top-ranked player, overtaking Egypt’s Omar Assar in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings released on Tuesday, March 18.Aruna now holds the 18th position globally in the Week 12 rankings.
Despite finishing as runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, his strong performances in this year’s World Table Tennis (WTT) tournaments played a key role in boosting his ranking.
He remains the only African male player to have reached the semifinals of the WTT Contender Doha, repeating his 2023 achievement. His latest ranking shift saw him move from 19th to 18th, surpassing Assar, who previously held Africa’s top spot.
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 after reaching the quarterfinals at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, making him the third-highest-ranked African player.
Nigeria’s Omotayo Olajide also made notable progress, re-entering the top 100 at 98th after advancing four places. Additionally, Muizz Adegoke and Monday Kuti both moved up three spots, now ranked 197th and 200th, respectively.
Source : https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
