Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, a veteran table tennis player, has recently climbed up the ITTF rankings to become the world’s 12th-best player.
The ITTF, in its Week 7 ranking of 2024, announced that the African champion has replaced former European champion Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany, who has now dropped to the 13th position.
This is a significant achievement for Aruna, who has been performing exceptionally well lately.
Aruna’s performance at the World Table Tennis Star Contender Goa in India has played a vital role in his ascent up the rankings.
His remarkable performance at the event has helped him to rise above the 16th spot where he had started this year.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Omar Assar has dropped from 20th to 22nd in the ranking, but he still maintains his position as the continent’s second-best player in the world.
Egyptian veteran Ahmed Saleh has gained one step up the ladder and is now ranked 52nd in the world ranking, while his fellow compatriot Mohamed El-Beiali has moved one step up the ranking and currently occupies 63rd place.
Taiwo Mati, Nigeria’s second-best-ranked player, has moved two steps up and is now placed 103rd in the world.
Egypt’s Mahmoud Helmy is the biggest mover in the ITTF ranking, having moved up 498 steps to be ranked 215th in the world.
In the women’s ranking, Dina Meshref of Egypt maintains her status as the best-ranked African and occupies the 27th spot in the world ranking.
She is closely followed by another compatriot, Hana Goda, who is ranked 30th.
Fatimo Bello remains Nigeria’s best-ranked female player and occupies the 116th spot in the world.
This is an impressive feat for Bello, who has been working hard to improve her ranking.
Aruna is expected to lead the Nigerian contingent to the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Busan 2024 in South Korea later this week.
He will be hoping to improve his world rating as the organizers have decided to award individual ranking points to players based on their team performance at the global tournament.
This is a strategic initiative designed to provide players and teams with a more comprehensive evaluation of their achievements.
In conclusion, the ITTF’s ranking system is an excellent way to measure and evaluate the performance of table tennis players worldwide.
It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of these players that they have been able to achieve such impressive rankings.
