Quadri Aruna Exits WTT Champions Chongqing After Straight-Games Defeat to World No. 2 Wang Chuqin

Nigerian table tennis Star, Quadri Aruna (world No. 19) suffered a 3-0 loss to China’s world No. 2, Wang Chuqin, in the round of 32 at the ongoing  World Table Tennis Champions holding in Chongqing, China.

The defeat saw to the end of his pursuit of the $800,000 prize money for the tournament trophy .

Wang dominated the match at Chongqing’s Infinity Arena, securing victory with scores of 11-6, 13-11, 11-7. Despite Aruna’s resilient effort in the second game—where he forced a deuce—the Chinese star’s precision and home-court advantage proved insurmountable. Across three games, Aruna accumulated just 24 points to Wang’s 35. 

Match statistics highlighted Aruna’s challenges, particularly on serve: he won only 14 points on his own serve and 10 on Wang’s. The Chinese Olympian showcased his dominance with a five-point lead at peak and a streak of five consecutive points. 

This marked the pair’s first-ever WTT Series meeting, with Aruna unable to counter Wang’s composure and tactical execution amid a vocal home crowd. 

The defeat extends a tough streak for African contenders at the event. Egypt’s Omar Assar (world No. 17) fell 3-0 to Germany’s Dang Qiu (world No. 9), while in the women’s draw, Egypt’s Dina Meshref (world No. 33) lost 3-1 to South Korea’s Kim Nayeong (world No. 39). 

Aruna arrived in China seeking momentum after finishing as runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup in Tunisia, where he lost to Assar in the final. However, Wang’s commanding performance halted his progress. 

The WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 (March 11–16) features 32 top-ranked men’s and women’s singles players competing under the event’s signature purple lighting. African hopes now rest on 17-year-old Egyptian phenom Hana Goda, who faces South Korea’s Shun Yubin on Thursday. Goda, fresh from reclaiming her ITTF Africa Cup title with a 4-2 win over Meshref, aims to advance beyond recent early exits at major tournaments.