Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna began 2025 in style, defeating British champion Liam Pitchford on Thursday to advance to the third round of the Men’s Singles at the WTT Star Contender in Doha, Qatar.
Aruna, the fifth seed and Africa’s sole representative left in the tournament overcame a tricky start against Pitchford. After losing the first game 10-12, he rallied to win the next three games 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, sealing his progression to the round of 16.
His next opponent is Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who defeated a Japanese contender in the second round.
In the Women’s Singles, Egypt’s Dina Meshref bowed out in the second round after a 3-1 defeat to China’s Chen Yi.
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Elsewhere, the Men’s Singles witnessed a major upset as third seed Patrick Franziska of Germany was eliminated in the round of 32 by Park Ganghyeon of Korea Republic. Despite taking an early lead, Franziska fell 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).
Frenchman Thibault Poret continued his fine form, defeating 14th seed Lim Jonghoon of Korea Republic in five games (11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8) to reach his first WTT Star Contender round of 16.
In the Women’s Singles, Britt Eerland secured a spot in the last 16 with a 3-1 win over India’s Manika Batra (10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3). Despite losing the first game, Eerland rallied to win the next three.
Romania’s Bernadette Szocs also showed grit, coming from behind to beat Germany’s Sabine Winter in five games (3-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9), demonstrating her resilience and determination.
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