Aruna Quadri faces a tough Harimoto test at Singapore Smash 2023

Nigerian table tennis star Aruna Quadri will be hoping to end his losing streak against Japan’s Tomikazu Harimoto when they meet in the men’s singles round of 16 at the WTT Singapore Smash on Thursday.

The reigning African champions defeated French teenager Alexis Lebrun 3-2 in the series at the Singapore Sports Hubs OCBC Arena on Tuesday.

Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto also booked his place in the round of 16 after coming back from two sets down to beat Can Akkuzu 3-2 (8-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-3).

Although Harimoto has beaten the Nigerian in their last three encounters, the African champion will be hoping for a favorable result in their fourth encounter.

By the way, all their last three meetings have been in the round of 16 of different competitions and the Japanese have won all of them.

If Quadri defeats Harimoto in today’s match, he will face the winner of Hugo Calderano vs. Darko Jorgic in the next round.

It was a very good comeback win for me and I want to keep my momentum going and hopefully advance to the next round of the tournament, Quadri said after his win.

Harimoto is always difficult to play against because he is a very fast player. It’s not just that he’s a tough opponent, he’s a good player who can also win.

But having played him twice on a big stage like this, I think I’ll try my best to take him down this time because it’s a 50-50 match for both of us, anyone can win.

In this tournament, every player has an equal chance to win the championship because we are all on the same level regardless of your world ranking. I am happy with my performance and hope I can do more.