Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna has received a late call-up to compete in the inaugural WTT Contender Chennai in India, replacing German star Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The event, with a prize pool of $270,000, will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from March 25 to 30.
Ranked 19th in the world, Aruna will face tough competition in the men’s singles with notable players such as Egypt’s Omar Assar, Denmark’s Jonathan Groth, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, and Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
Aruna will be looking to deliver a strong performance, with World Table Tennis (WTT) backing him to shine in India.
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“Stay tuned. There’s more to come from Quadri Aruna in India,” WTT captioned Aruna’s video on Monday, announcing his participation.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah expressed excitement about the event, stating, “Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India.”
The 36-year-old Nigerian has participated in two WTT events this year, reaching the semi-finals in Doha and falling in the round of 32 in Chongqing.