WTT Singapore Smash: Aruna Advances To Round Of 32

Nigerian table tennis sensation Quadri Aruna has advanced to the round of 32 in the Men’s singles of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash tournament, taking place at the Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Arena in Kallang, Singapore.

Aruna defeated Germany’s Ruwen Filus, 3-2 (14-12, 6-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-9), during a highly entertaining encounter in the first round of the championship. With the win, Aruna will meet French star, Alexis Lebrun, in the next round.

A recap of Quadri Aruna’s brilliance against Germany’s Ruwen Filus in the first round of the men’s singles at the WTT Singapore Smash.#WTTsmash pic.twitter.com/NXBkW8xIph

— ITTF-Africa (@ITTFAfrica) March 12, 2023

After the match, the Nigerian star spoke about his close encounter in the hard-fought victory against his German opponent.

“I was focusing because six or seven years ago i experienced almost the same situation against him and I knew it was not over until it was over,” Aruna said after the match.

“I kept my cool, I kept playing and in the end, he made a few errors and that made a big difference.”

• Read more: Aruna Draws Filus In Singapore Smash First Round

Africa’s number two seed, Omar Assar of Egypt, lost 3-0 to Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia in the round of 64.

His compatriots, Hana Goda and Mariam Alhodaby, were also beaten by German and Japanese opponents respectively.