Nigeria’s top-ranked table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will lead the country’s charge at the 2025 ITTF World Championships Finals in Doha, Qatar, as the continent continues its quest for a historic first medal at the prestigious event.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from May 16 to 25, with Nigerian athletes set to compete across singles and doubles events in both the men’s and women’s categories.
Ranked 20th in the world and seeded 19th for the tournament, Aruna will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign in the men’s singles. The 36-year-old, who made history in 2021 as the first African to reach the quarterfinals of the ITTF World Championships, remains the country’s strongest medal hopeful.
He begins his journey in the Round of 128 against Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy on Saturday, May 17.
Joining Aruna in the men’s singles draw are Olajide Omotayo (ranked 103rd), Muizz Adegoke (203rd), and teenage prospect Matthew Kuti (207th).
Omotayo faces Brazil’s Leonardo Iizuka, Adegoke takes on Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse, while Kuti will meet Samuel Kulczycki of Poland, all on Sunday, May 18.
In the women’s singles, Nigeria is represented by world number 91, Fatimo Bello, along with Ajoke Ojomu (198th) and Hope Udoaka (301st). Bello, the highest-ranked Nigerian woman, is set for a challenging encounter against world number 22, Manika Batra of India, while Ojomu will take on Sally Moyland of the United States.
