Aruna faces Yi-Hsin at WTT Chennai
Nigeria table tennis star Quadri Aruna will face Chinese youngster and world No. 58 Feng Yi-Hsin in round 32 of the maiden WTT Contender Chennai in India, NewsNGR Sports Extra reports.
Yi-Hsin emerged as Aruna’s opponent on Thursday after beating Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-9) in just 20 minutes during their round of 64 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Aruna is among the top men’s singles players in the event and was drawn by into the round of 32 and will now brace for a tricky test against the 22-year-old.
The Nigerian entered the competition as a replacement for German star Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The world number 18 and his African rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar were confirmed for the $275,000 tournament last week.
The 36-year-old has played in two WTT events this year.
In January, he made it as far as the semi-finals in the WTT Star Contender in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto before crashing out of the WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to world number two Wang Chuqin of China in their round of 32 clash.
Aruna will hope to put up a more commanding show in India, as he hopes to improve on his second-round finish in 2024 with another strong performance in India for a share of the $275,000 prize pool.
Meanwhile, Nigeria-born Italian national champion John Oyebode didn’t make it into the main draw despite his brilliant start in the qualifying round.
He was ousted 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 13-11, 11-6) by homeboy Manush Shah in the final qualifying round.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah also said the competition is a bold step forward as they expect Aruna and other players to deliver a memorable spectacle.
“Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India. With a venue like the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the support of Tamil Nadu’s government, we are ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle for players and fans.”
The WTT Contender Chennai is the fifth WTT event of the year and marks the first staging of the series in the City.
