- Quadri Aruna advances to the semifinals of the WTT Star Contender Doha after defeating Korea’s Park Ganghyeon with a 3-1 victory
- Aruna will face Japan’s top seed Tomokazu Harimoto, having previously defeated Spain’s Alvaro Robles in a hard-fought match
Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna continues his remarkable performance at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, advancing to the semifinals where he will face Japan’s top seed, Tomokazu Harimoto.
Aruna secured his semifinal spot with a commanding victory over Korea’s Park Ganghyeon in the quarterfinals held at the Lusail Arena. His dominant 3-1 win marked his third triumph in the tournament.
Earlier on January 10, Aruna avenged previous defeats to Spain’s Alvaro Robles, securing a hard-fought 3-2 win.
Aruna controlled the match early in the quarterfinals, winning the first game 11-9 and the second 11-8. Although Park fought back to claim the third game 11-4, Aruna quickly regained momentum to close out the match 11-9 in the fourth game.
With this victory, Aruna remains the only male African player to reach the semifinals of the WTT Star Contender, repeating his feat from the 2022 edition.
He now faces a tough challenge against Harimoto. Their last encounter at the WTT Champions Frankfurt saw Aruna emerge victorious, but Harimoto will be eager for redemption when they meet on January 11.