Aruna Holds On To Africa’s Top Spot Despite Drop In ITTF World Rankings

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has maintained his status as Africa’s leading table tennis player, even though he slipped three places to 26th in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings released on Tuesday, Sport360NG reports.

Aruna, who now sits on 1,185 points, remains comfortably ahead of Egyptian rival Omar Assar, who occupies 33rd place with 930 points. The Nigerian’s position is largely backed by consistent performances over the past year, despite suffering an early exit to Assar in the round of 64 at last week’s WTT Europe Smash in Sweden.

Much of Aruna’s current tally comes from his strong runs in recent tournaments. He earned 350 points after finishing runner-up at the 2025 ITTF African Cup in Tunis, 210 points for reaching the semi-finals of the WTT Star Contender in Doha, and 175 points for advancing to the round of 16 at the ITTF World Championships earlier this year. However, with several of those points set to expire, his ranking could come under more pressure in the coming months, making participation in upcoming ITTF events crucial.

Other Nigerian male players saw their rankings slide. Matthew Kuti dropped four places to 200th with 89 points, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai fell to 206th on 81 points, Olajide Omotayo slipped to 212th, and Taiwo Mati moved down to 221st. The only upward movement came from Muizz Adegoke, who rose two places to 232nd.

On the women’s side, Fatimo Bello continues to lead Nigeria’s rankings, holding 122nd place globally with 189 points. However, Ajoke Ojomu (158th), Aminat Fashola (186th), and Sukurat Aiyelabegan (211th) all suffered drops. Only players positioned between fifth and tenth among Nigeria’s women managed to climb in the standings.

Meanwhile, China extended its dominance on the global stage. Sun Yingsha cemented her number one spot in the women’s rankings with a record 12,200 points after her victory at the WTT Europe Smash. In the men’s rankings, Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin lead the field, with Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Brazil’s Hugo Calderano rounding out the top four.

The ITTF updates its rankings weekly, using a rolling 12-month system that counts a player’s best eight results, with higher-tier tournaments carrying greater weight.