Aruna meets South American champion as World Table Tennis Finals begin

Quadri Aruna. Tim Warner/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Tim Warner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Africa’s number one table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will begin his campaign for glory at the World Table Tennis Finals in Doha, today, when he meets South America’s champion and world number five player, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano.

Calderano holds a 2:0 record against Aruna, he will be favourite to keep his stellar WTT Series year rolling on.

The duo should be well prepared to face each other having spent the afternoon out on Infinity Arena practicing together, so fans should be in for a treat when they take centre stage on the opening day of action.

The highlight of the day’s action is the clash between World number one, Fan Zhendong, who won the inaugural event back in 2021, against world number 14, Darko Jorgic. Fan has a 2:0 head-to-head record against Jorgic.

The draw has a possibility of a potential semifinal collision between Fan and world number three, Ma Long, who is still searching for a WTT Men’s singles title.

Long’s first hurdle is against Jang Woojin, their first match in five years.

Defending champion, Wang Chuqin, begins his campaign against 2023 breakout star, Felix Lebrun. Both players have recorded career milestones throughout the 2023 season, with Wang taking the World No.1 crown for the first time and Lebrun cracking the Top 10. It will be an unmissable match as the teenage debutant tries to add one last chapter to the 2023 fairytale against the defending champ.

In the doubles, the men’s top seeds Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin will get their title chase underway against Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting.

The WTT Finals Men Doha is holding at Lusail Sports Arena from today to January 5.

The climatic