Aruna Quadri, the renowned Nigerian table tennis sensation, experienced a decline of four positions in the latest world rankings for May. This setback can be attributed to his recent lackluster performances in various table tennis tournaments.
Despite this drop, the 34-year-old Aruna Quadri remains the top player in Africa. However, the recently published rankings on Wednesday, May 31 revealed that he slipped from the 12th spot to the 16th position, accumulating only 395 points during the review period.
During the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships held in Durban, South Africa, the reigning African champion, Aruna Quadri managed to secure a modest 45 points. Unfortunately, his journey ended in the quarterfinals. Furthermore, at the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup in Nairobi, Kenya, Quadri earned a total of 350 points.
In contrast to Aruna Quadri, Amadi Omeh, another Nigerian player, experienced a substantial rise in the rankings. He climbed an impressive 207 spot and secured the 200th position overall. With an impressive tally of 75 points, Amadi emerged victorious in the WTTC 2024 Western Africa regional competition held in Accra, Ghana.
The current world rankings boast a Chinese trio dominating the top three positions: Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, and Ma Long. Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan and Liang Jingkun of China complete the top five players.
Other notable figures in the top 10 male athletes worldwide include Hugo Calderano of Brazil, Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Yun-Ju of China, Dang Qiu of Germany, and Truls Moregard of Sweden.
Another Nigerian table tennis star, Taiwo Mati, witnessed a significant leap in his career by climbing 16 spots from the 91st to the 75th position. This remarkable progress represents the highest advancement he has achieved in his 19-year journey. Mati accumulated a total of 180 points during the review period.
Additionally, Mati received 90 points for his appearance in the quarterfinals of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Durban and an equal number of points for reaching the round of 32 in the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup held in Nairobi, Kenya.