Chinese superstar Ma Long says Aruna Quadri is a worthy opponent, despite beating the Nigerian 3-1 in the opening match of the WTT Championship in Macau, on Tuesday.

Long maintained his unblemished record against the Nigerian, winning 11-8, 11-6, 9-11,11-8 to book his place in the next round of the competition.

After the match, Long heaped praises on Quadri for giving him a great fight.

Read: https://www.brila.net/quadri-suffers-4th-defeat-to-ma-long-bows-out-of-macau-championship/

“I think it was a very tough match, I was more active in the first game, but we were very close in the last three games, especially in the third and fourth games. The overall strength of the opponent (Quadri), including the quality of his play, really put a lot of pressure on me.

“People always say Quadri has a really good forehand, but I think his backhand is really good as well.”

Quadri Aruna. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Following the defeat, Quadri will shift focus to WTT Star Contender Bangkok, Thailand.​

The African number one will compete along with nine others in the four-day tournament billed to hold from April 23 to 29 at Indoor Stadium Huamark.