Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna saw his 2025 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships campaign come to a premature end on Thursday following a straight-sets defeat in the fourth round of the men’s singles event. The match, held at Lusail Arena in Doha, featured a highly anticipated encounter against Brazil’s Hugo Calderano but ultimately unfolded as a one-sided contest.
Calderano, currently ranked among the world’s elite, delivered a technically dominant performance, securing a 4-0 victory with set scores of 11-4, 11-4, 11-4, and 11-6. The Brazilian’s tactical approach proved decisive, as he effectively neutralised Aruna’s traditionally powerful forehand by consistently targeting his backhand side—an area where the Nigerian struggled to assert control throughout the match.
Despite visible efforts from Aruna’s coaching team to recalibrate strategy during mid-game intervals, the 36-year-old was unable to recover momentum or mitigate the impact of repeated unforced errors. Calderano’s execution—marked by precision backhand counters and aggressive forehand topspins—kept Aruna under constant pressure, leading to a swift conclusion after just 22 minutes of play.
Aruna, Africa’s most accomplished table tennis player, entered the tournament as the continent’s top contender and was the only African to progress to the round of 16 in this year’s edition. His run in Doha adds to an already distinguished record at the World Championships, which includes a historic quarter-final appearance in 2021 in Houston and multiple Round of 16 finishes.
While this latest result marks a disappointing conclusion to his 2025 campaign, Aruna’s consistent presence among the world’s top competitors continues to underscore his enduring impact on African table tennis at the global level.
