Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has reached the semifinals of the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, where he will take on top seed Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan in what promises to be a thrilling showdown.
Aruna earned his spot in the last four after defeating Korea’s Park Ganghyeon in an intense quarterfinal match at the Lusail Arena in Doha.
Earlier on Friday, January 10, the world’s second-highest ranked African player avenged his past losses to Spain’s Alvaro Robles, claiming a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the round of 16.
In the quarterfinal, Aruna displayed superior form against Park, who had caused an upset by eliminating German star Patrick Franziska in the second round. Aruna dominated the first two games 11-9 and 11-8, but Park fought back to take the third 11-4. Aruna quickly regained control, sealing the match with an 11-9 win in the fourth game for a 3-1 victory.
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With this win, Aruna becomes the only African male player to reach the semifinals of a WTT Star Contender event, repeating his 2022 feat.
The Nigerian star now faces Harimoto, a familiar rival. Aruna triumphed in their last meeting at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in Germany. However, Harimoto will be eager to turn the tables when they clash on Saturday.
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