Sensational table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, made a strong start to 2025 with an impressive victory over British champion Liam Pitchford on Thursday, securing his place in the third round of the Men’s Singles at the WTT Star Contender Doha in Qatar.
Aruna, the fifth seed and the only remaining African competitor, faced a tough challenge from Pitchford but managed to overcome the British player after losing the first game 10-12.
Demonstrating remarkable resilience, Aruna bounced back to win the next three games 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, booking his spot in the next round.
Next up for Aruna is Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who advanced to the third round by defeating a Japanese player in his own second-round match.
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Earlier in the tournament, Egypt’s Dina Meshref was unable to progress past the second round in the Women’s Singles, falling 3-1 to China’s Chen Yi.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Singles draw saw a major upset, with third seed Patrick Franziska of Germany being eliminated in the round of 32. After taking an early lead, Franziska ultimately lost 3-2 to Park Ganghyeon of the Korea Republic (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).
In other exciting news from Doha, French player Thibault Poret made a strong statement with his victory over No.14 seed Lim Jonghoon of Korea Republic (11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8), marking his first appearance in the round of 16 at the WTT Star Contender.
On the women’s side, Britt Eerland celebrated advancing to the last 16 with a remarkable 3-1 win over No.14 seed Manika Batra of India (10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3), while Bernadette Szocs demonstrated her fighting spirit, coming from behind to defeat Germany’s opponent 3-2 (3-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9).
