Quadri Aruna began his 2025 campaign as the fifth seed at the WTT Star Contender Doha, which started on January 8 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar. Aruna, ranked 21st in the latest ITTF rankings and the second highest-rated African, received a bye to the second round (round of 32) and is set to face the winner of the match between England’s Liam Pitchford and Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko.
Aruna, who reached the semifinals at the 2022 edition of the tournament, is hopeful of surpassing that achievement this year. As the only African player in the Men’s Singles, he aims to make a strong statement at this prestigious event.
On the Women’s Singles side, Egypt’s Dina Meshref, the 2024 Africa Cup champion, will begin her quest for glory in the second round against China’s Chen Yi. Meshref, who skipped the 2024 African Championships, is making her return to international competition and hopes to break her losing streak against Chinese players.
The tournament, offering a total prize pool of $275,000, features top players like Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, Germany’s Dan Qui, and Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic. With significant points up for grabs in the ITTF rankings, the WTT Star Contender Doha 2025 promises fierce competition as players vie for supremacy.