Quadri Aruna returned to action today at the 2023 WTT Star Contender Ljubljana in Slovenia after been pitched against Hong Kong pen holder Wong Chun Ting in the second round (last 32) of the men’s singles.
Aruna who has not been active since May following club engagements, got a bye to the second round as one of the top 10 seeds of the tournament.
The Nigerian star who missed the first WTT Contender Lagos last month due to his club involvement in the Russian Premier League play-off, has been sliding in the ITTF ranking after dropping to 18th in the latest ranking released on Tuesday (July 4) but hopes to use the event in Slovenia to shore up his world rating.
“It is good to return to action after weeks of absence and I must sincerely admit that I missed competing in front of my home fans in Lagos.” Aruna told NationSport. “Importantly, I am happy that some of the top players enjoyed the experience of my city.
“This being my first event in the last one month and I hope I can garner some points as everybody is working hard to pick tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
In the same event, 2023 African champion Omar Assar has been handed a tough tie as he will face French teenage sensation Felix Lebrun in the second round of the men’s singles.
A total prize pool of 250,000 USD and 600 World Ranking points are up for grabs for the singles champions.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on home boy Darko Jorigic as the World No.13 will look to use his home ground advantage and fan support to claim the title.
The moment is ripe for Jorgic to make a breakthrough, coming in as the 8th seed. Without a WTT Series title to his name, Ljubljana would be a fairytale location to make his maiden win.