2018 ITTF World Cup: Quadri gets tough draw, battles French champion

Africa’s representative – Aruna Quadri has been handed a tough draw in the 2018 ITTF World Cup, which serves off on Friday in Paris, France.

In the draw conducted on Thursday at the Convention Center of the Disney’s New Port Bay Club Hotel, Quadri will begin his campaign against French champion – Simon Gauzy.

He will also battle a familiar foe and Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist – United States’ Kanak Jha with the top two players from the group progressing to the knockout stage of the competition.

The Nigerian will have his hands full when he battles the Frenchman in front of the home fans as both players are yet to face each other in any world title tournament except at the Hungary Open in 2016 where Gauzy claimed a 4-2 win over Quadri.

The last meeting between Quadri and the American youngster was at the 2017 World Cup in Liege, Belgium with Quadri claiming a 4-2 win over the skillful Jha.

Still fresh from his excellent performance at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, Jha will be aiming for revenge against the 2018 ITTF African Champion.

A calm Quadri told Sportinglife.ng that he would give his best and hoping that his best would be good enough to secure a passage to the next round. “I am fully ready and I am looking forward to making it to the second round. But I must admit that it is not going to be on a platter of gold as I will have to work hard for it,” he said.

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Disney Event Arena in Chessy, a suburb in the east of Paris will host the three-day $250,000 prize money championship which has the best 20 players across the world competing for honours.