Quadri Aruna Loses His ITTF Number One Ranking In Africa To Omar Assar

Nigerian table tennis icon, Quadri Aruna, has finally lost his place as the highest-ranked table tennis player in Africa.

Quadri Aruna who has been having a tough run in the game in recent years has been replaced in the first spot in the African ranking by Egyptian star Omar Assar.

This means that Aruna is no longer the best-ranked African table tennis player in the world. Assar will now represent Africa in that position.

The Egyptian table tennis star overtook the Nigerian icon in the rankings after reaching the last 16 in the just-concluded Singapore Smash. He also knocked out Aruna in the 2024 African Games in Ghana.

According to the 2024 Week 12 Ranking released by ITTF, the Egyptian table tennis star moved five places to occupy the 17th spot in the world and the number one spot in Africa.

As for Aruna, the Nigerian tennis star is now ranked 19th in the world and second in Africa.

Quadri Aruna still has the bragging rights of being the first and only African table tennis player to reach the Singapore Smash quarter-final round, a feat he achieved in 2023.

Omar Assar attempted to break the record in 2024 but lost to Indian legend Sharath Achanta in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Chinese table tennis star, Wang Chuqin is now the number one player in the world, replacing his countryman, Fan Zhendong.