Aruna qualifies for WTT Finals in Doha

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

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, has been listed as the 15th player to qualify for the season-ending World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals Championship, which features the top 16 players in the world. The event will hold from January 3 to 5, 2024 in Doha, Qatar.

The Nigerian will be making his third appearance at the WTT Finals.

According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the WTT Finals is regarded as the peak of the WTT Series, and it provides opportunity for the best 16 men’s players in the world to battle for a share of $340,000 prize money, as well as ranking points to shore up their rating for their qualification for Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Aruna remains the only African player to have featured in the WTT Finals having competed at the maiden edition in Singapore, as well as the 2022 edition in China.

In his maiden outing, the Nigerian caused a major upset after beating world number eight, Liang Jingkun of China, 3-1 to hit the quarterfinal, where he was beaten by Brazil’s Hugo Calderano.

At the 2022 edition in China, he exited in the first round after losing 3-1 to world number eight, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju.

For the third consecutive edition, Aruna will be making a return to compete against the world elite players from January 3 to 5, 2024, while the Nigerian holds the record as the first African to hit the quarterfinal of the tournament.

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