Aruna Quadri has qualified for the next round of the ongoing 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa.

Quadri advanced to the round of 62 in the singles event, with victory over Romanian, Ovidiu Ionescu in the preliminary round of the competition.

The Nigerian, who is ranked 12th in the world, beat Ionescu 4-2 (11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9) in a best-of-six series, and he will now face Alvaro Robles in the round of 64 later today.

Speaking after his win, Quadri said, “It was a very difficult match. Table Tennis is 50/50. We have seen several surprises.

“The target is to do very well. Last year, I didn’t expect I would reach the quarter-finals. I’m here to give my best and I hope it will be enough to win the next match. What will be will be, but I will give my best.

“We are used to each other from the Bundesliga during my time there in Germany. Like you saw, all the sets were very close. We even made mistakes and in the third set the coach had to call for time out and the advice from him made the difference for him.”​

Quadri the top ranked African on the tour, enjoyed massive support from home crowd during the game, and he acknowledged the support.

“I feel like I’m playing in my own country. This is Africa, South Africa is like my own country. I was here in January and I got amazing support from them. So, I must say thank you to them,” He concluded.