Quadri Aruna suffers early exit at WTT Champions Doha

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna endured an early setback at the ongoing WTT Champions Doha after crashing out of the men’s singles event at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

Aruna was overpowered in straight games by China’s Liang Jingkun, the tournament’s sixth seed, who sealed a comprehensive 3–0 victory to end the African champion’s campaign in the $500,000 tournament. Despite the one-sided scoreline, Aruna produced flashes of his trademark explosive forehand, offering signs of promise as he builds momentum early in the new season.

Earlier in the competition, Africa’s struggles began when Egypt’s Omar Assar exited after a 3–1 defeat to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami on Wednesday, January 7.

In the women’s singles, Egypt’s teenage sensation Hana Goda also bowed out despite a spirited showing against former world No. 1 Zhu Yuling of China. Goda pushed the experienced Chinese star across four tightly contested games, briefly raising hopes of a major upset. After dropping the first game 11–8, Goda responded strongly to take the second 11–5.

The third and fourth games were closely fought, featuring long rallies and high-quality exchanges. Goda came within touching distance of forcing a decider in the third, but Yuling held her nerve to win 15–13, before closing out the match 12–10 for a 3–1 victory.

Although eliminated, Goda’s performance reinforced her growing reputation on the global stage. She remains the only African player to have reached the women’s singles quarterfinals at WTT Champions level, achieving the feat at Montpellier 2024 and Frankfurt 2025.

With WTT Champions Doha now behind them, African attention shifts to the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026, scheduled for January 13–18.

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