Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri on Monday qualified for the ITTF World Cup in France after beating Egypt’s Omar Assar in the final of the 2017 ITTF Africa Cup.
Quadri, ranked 25th in the world, had a tough match as he had to comeback to win the game 4-3.
The Nigerian played with utmost calm to claim his first ever victory in years of playing Assar at different competitions. At points were Assar looked to be gaining the upper hand, Quadri did not lose it but kept plugging on.
“I am so happy today that I won because it was not an easy match. I am happy that my backhand worked well in the match because I was afraid to use it against my friend – Omar Assar whom I know was in his best form this time.
“I think Omar Assar played and that it was just luck, today because sometimes luck plays a crucial role in matches,” Aruna Quadri told NationSport after his victory.
In the women’s singles final, Olufunke Oshonaike lost 4-0 to Egypt’s Dina Meshref handing Dina the sole African ticket at this year’s ITTF World Cup.
