Nigeria’s table tennis icon, Aruna Quadri, has concluded the 2025 season firmly positioned as Africa’s number one player, following the release of the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) final annual rankings on Tuesday.
According to the ITTF rankings published for Week 1 of 2026, Quadri finished the year ranked 28th in the world with a total of 1,065 points. This achievement made him the only African male player to surpass the 1,000-point threshold, further underlining his dominance on the continent. Egypt’s Omar Assar emerged as the second-highest-ranked African, placing 32nd globally with 965 points.
Despite being 37 years old, Quadri maintained an intense and highly competitive international schedule throughout the year. One of the standout moments of his 2025 campaign was his impressive run to the final of the ITTF African Cup in Tunis, where he earned 350 ranking points. He also delivered strong performances on the global stage, reaching the semi-finals of the WTT Star Contender in Doha and progressing to the round of 16 at the World Table Tennis Championships finals, also held in Doha.
Quadri’s steady accumulation of points was further boosted by his participation in elite tournaments such as the Singapore Smash and the United States Smash. He also featured prominently in WTT Champions events across Macao, Chongqing, Incheon, Yokohama, and Frankfurt, in addition to competing in several WTT Contender and Star Contender tournaments around the world.
This consistency ensured that Quadri remained Africa’s flag bearer in men’s table tennis throughout the year, even as the global game continues to be dominated by Asian and European players. At the top of the world rankings, China maintained its stronghold, with Wang Chuqin leading the standings ahead of fellow Chinese star Lin Shidong. Brazil’s Hugo Calderano ranked third, retaining his position as the highest-ranked non-Asian player.
Quadri’s latest ranking milestone adds another chapter to an already remarkable career. He is a three-time Olympian, having represented Nigeria at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. His quarter-final finish in Rio remains one of the greatest achievements by an African table tennis player at the Olympics. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first African to break into the world’s top ten rankings.
Over the years, Quadri has collected numerous accolades, including being named ITTF Star Player of the Year in 2014 and winning a bronze medal for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games the same year. He has also been officially recognized by the Olympic movement as Africa’s most successful Olympic table tennis player of all time.
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