Aruna Quadri has set himself and his nation on the radar of the International Table Tennis Federation after setting a new personal record in the end of year ranking released by the ITTF.

According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the 29-year-old Quadri has exceeded his best of number 25 in the global ranking.

"This has helped him displace Egypt's Omar Assar as the continent's best-ranked player in the world," the NTTF said in a press statement.

"Inspite of not matching the record set by Assar as the first African ranked among the top 20 in the world, Quadri ends the year as the highest-ranked African in the latest rating.

The Oyo state-born star player got 50 points from wins over top-ranked players at the Swedish Open to improve from 2457 to 2507 points to be rated 21 in the world ranking.

President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Ishaku Tikon has hailed Quadri on his latest achievement and has called on young players to emulate him.

"The feat is commendable as Quadri continues to put Nigeria and Africa on the world map with his scintillating performance at the global stage.

"We are excited about this latest ranking and this goes to show that our efforts are paying off and what we just need to do is to ensure we unearth and nurture more players like Quadri.

"Also, the young players should take a cue from Quadri in terms of his diligence, professionalism and dedication to the trade.

"I hope and believe they can follow his footsteps in their career to make it to the top," Tikon said on nan.ng


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