Quadri Aruna of Nigeria competes against Liang Jingkun of China during the WTT Champions Doha 2026 men's Round of 32 at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, on January 8, 2026. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto) (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil / NurPhoto via AFP)
Nigeria table tennis star Quadri Aruna has suffered his biggest setback in over a decade in the latest International Table Tennis Federation rankings, dropping 20 places to 76th in the world and fourth in Africa, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
It is the first time since 2014 that the Nigerian star has dropped out of the top two in Africa.
For over a decade, Aruna has dominated the continent alongside his Egyptian rival Omar Assar, who remains the No. 1 player in Africa and 31st in the world.
In the latest rankings released on Monday, Aruna was overtaken by Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz, who is now second in Africa and 57th in the world. At the same time, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, who defeated Aruna in the semi-finals of the ITTF Africa Cup in February, is now third in Africa and 75th in the world.
