In a touching display of camaraderie, African Table Tennis stars Aruna and Assar embraced on the field after his win over Pucar at the 2023 ITTF World Championship in Durban after the Egyptian equalled his and Africa’s best performance at the worlds.
Although Assar’s run ended in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Fan Zhendong, his performance highlighted the quality of African players on the global stage.
Aruna Quadri was at the same quarter-final stage where his journey ended two years earlier in Houston.
African Table Tennis Stars Aims To Go Beyond ITTF World Championship Quarter-Final
Africa is still chasing its first medal at the ITTF World Championships, and the 2025 edition in Doha presents an opportunity for a mix of current and new stars to try again..
Quadri Aruna made history as the first African to reach the quarterfinals of this prestigious tournament in Houston, defying the odds and setting a path for others.
Aruna has been a trailblazer, achieving numerous firsts for Africa in table tennis. His remarkable performance at the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he became the first African to reach the quarterfinals, earned him the ITTF World Player of the Year award.
At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Aruna’s skill was on full display as he defeated former World No. 1 Timo Boll of Germany to become the first African to reach the Olympic quarterfinals.
In the 2021 ITTF World Championships in Houston, Aruna continued to impress, defeating India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson to reach the quarterfinals, where his run was halted by Sweden’s Truls Moregard, the tournament’s Vice Champion.
Like Aruna, Like Assar
Following in Aruna’s footsteps, Egyptian star Omar Assar became the first African to reach consecutive quarterfinals at the Olympic Games, matching Aruna’s record at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
Also, Assar equaled Aruna’s ITTF World Championships record, becoming the second African to reach the quarterfinals in Durban.
Assar’s journey included victories over Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar, Ecuador’s Alberto Mino, Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko, and Sweden’s Truls Moregard, solidifying his status as one of Africa’s brightest table tennis stars.
A Mix of The Old and The Future
As the world turns its attention to Doha, Africa hopes for another standout performance from its players, including established stars like Aruna, Assar, Dina Meshref, and Hana Goda, as well as debutants and teenage sensations like Tunisia’s Wassim Essid and Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti, who are ready to challenge the elite in Qatar.
As the 2025 ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, approach, African stars will seek to make their mark from May 16 to 25.