Aruna Quadri makes seeding list for Korea Open

Africa’s highest ranked player in the world, Aruna Quadri continued his build up to the 2018 ITTF World Cup as he has been listed among the top 16 players seeded for the ITTF World Tour Platinum tagged Korea Open, which serves off with qualification today at Chungmu Sports Arena in Daejeon, South Korea.

As the only African competing at the star-studded tournament, Quadri has been seeded 13th in the men’s singles while Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov is the number one seed.

Prior to the release of the seeding list, Quadri was expected to pair Egypt’s Omar Assar in the men’s doubles but the Egyptian had to withdraw following the one-year ban placed on Assar by the Egypt Table Tennis Federation (ETTF). The ban was pronounced on Assar following his misconduct at the just concluded Mediterranean Games held in Spain.

With this development, Quadri is expected to compete in the men’s singles event at the $266,000 prize money championship.

For being seeded, Quadri has amassed some ranking points which would help to push him up the ladder of world rating come August 2018 as well as gives him opportunity to secure a place in the 2018 World Cup holding in France.

Meanwhile, North Korean team confirmed its participation at the Korea Open for the first time in history under the support of the ITTF Foundation as part of its Ping Pong Diplomacy programme to promote solidarity through table tennis.

ITTF President Thomas Weikert stated “The ITTF is proud to support the reunification of the North and South Korean table tennis teams again at the Korean Open, after the historic unification of the teams at the World Championships in Halmstad.

Table tennis has had a long history as a driver of peace, and we are happy to open a new chapter of table tennis diplomacy to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

The North & South Korean teams will form four mixed association pairs to compete as one Korean team in Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles events respectively.

The ITTF through its Foundation will look to continue this positive unified doubles pairs initiative in the upcoming ITTF World Tour events leading up to the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.

The Korea Open is the fourth Platinum event of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour with qualifications starting today while the main draw action begins on Thursday July 19.