Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna continues his impressive run at
the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, setting up a semifinal clash against the
tournament’s No. 1 seed, Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
Aruna secured his third win at the tournament by
defeating Korea’s Park Ganghyeon in an explosive quarterfinal match at the
Lusail Arena in Doha.
Earlier on Friday, January 10, the second
highest-ranked African player in the world avenged his previous losses to
Spain’s Alvaro Robles with a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
In the quarterfinal match, Aruna showcased a dominant
performance against the Korean qualifier, who had previously eliminated German
top seed Patrick Franciska in the second round.
Aruna took control from the start, winning the first
game 11-9 and the second game 11-8. Although Park fought back to win the third
game 11-4, Aruna regained his composure and clinched the fourth game 11-9,
securing a 3-1 victory and advancing to the semifinals.
Aruna remains the only male African player to reach
the semifinal stage of the WTT Star Contender, replicating his achievement from
the 2022 edition.
He will now face a familiar opponent in Japanese
sensation Harimoto; while their last encounter at the WTT Champions Frankfurt
in Germany, ended in Aruna’s favour, Harimoto will be seeking revenge when they
meet on Saturday, January 11.
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