The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Aruna Quadri

  • Aruna Quadri joins French club

    Aruna Quadri joins French club

    Having put the disappointing outing at the World Championship behind him coupled with efforts to improve his performance, 2014 ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri has quit his Portuguese club to team up with a French club in the lucrative France Table Tennis Federation (FTTF) organised league.

    Unlike other players plying their trade in the lower division of the French league, Quadri has inked a deal with an elite team in the Premier league – Jura Morez TT.

    The team who won the 2013/2014 season in Pro B to gain promotion to the top division will retain its place in the upper league where Quadri will also be playing with the world’s best like World number 10 and Portugal’s Marcos Freitas.

    The deal was formally concluded during a recent trip by Quadri to Paris, where he met with the management of the team and also used the opportunity to inspect the club facilities.

    Quadri was well received by the management of the club led by its chairman and Secretary, G. Philippe and M. Gilles.

    An elated Quadri told NationSport that it was the desire to improve his game as well as play alongside top players in the world that promoted his movement to France.

    Having won everything that was at stake in the Portuguese league after moving to the European nation in 2010, Quadri believes playing in the French league would help improve his game as well as expose him to top players.

    Among Quadri’s teammates in the French club are Spain’s He Zhiwen, 52, was the oldest player at the last World Championships in China.

    Zhiwen is ranked 81 in the world. Also in the team is 29 year-old Canada’s Eugene Wang ranked 85th in the world.

    Meanwhile, Quadri will return to the ITTF World Tour this week in Zagreb, Croatia.

    The ITTF World Tour tagged Croatia Open has Quadri and Mawussi Agbetoglo as Africa’s representatives at the five-day tournament.

    The Oyo State-born athlete will partner Portugal’s Andre Silva in the men’s doubles event for the competition, which serves off today.

  • Nigerian athlete takes Mexican citizenship

    Nigerian athlete takes Mexican citizenship

    Prior to 2000, Jude Okoh was an integral member of the Nigeria National Table Tennis Team but when the opportunity presented itself for him to travel to Mexico, he did not waste time to grab it.

    On getting to Mexico, he fell sick and had to undergone operation which was successful and for more than five years, he could pursue a career in table tennis.

    And when the chance came to put his talent to use, Okoh grabbed it and made the Mexican national team to the 2008 World Table Tennis Championship in Guangzhou, China and for more than three years he was an important member of the Mexican team.

    In 2011, Okoh guided Mexico to his first international title with a bronze medal in the team event of the Pan America Games hosted by Mexico.

    This feat paved way for the Nigerian to improve himself in the art of table tennis and today, Okoh is a member of the Mexican national team to the 2015 ITTF World Championships in Suzhou, China.

    Married to a Mexican and blessed with three children, Okoh told Nation Sport on Monday in China that he never regretted moving to Mexico.

    “When I left Nigeria I was still playing in the national team with the likes of Segun Toriola and Monday Merotohun and on getting to Mexico I fell sick and I had to undergo operation and it was successful.

    “I played for Mexican national team and later I became coach/player and it was then in 2011 that I led the Mexican team to win their first international medal in table tennis at the 2011 Pan American Games in the men’s team event. I am now a coach with the team and things have been working well for me”.

    “It was while in Mexico I met my lovely wife and we have three wonderful kids with a beautiful home to live and what else will I ask God to do for me.

    “I will remain grateful to God for this and the Mexicans have appreciated what I have done and still doing and it has become my adopted country,” he said.

    However, Okoh could not but admit that the feat achieved by Aruna Quadri has also made the Mexicans to appreciate him more. “I think the Mexican now appreciate me more after seeing what Aruna Quadri did in the world and for me that is a big boost for my profile and I am looking forward to seeing more Quadri making impact in table tennis,” he added.

  • Aruna Quadri enters round of 32 after win

    Aruna Quadri enters round of 32 after win

    Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri recovered from the 2-4 loss to Egypt’s Omar Assar at Lagos Open to record a crucial 4-3 win over Hong Kong’s Kit Kwan Ho in the first round match of the ITTF World Tour, Spanish Open holding in Almeria.

    As the world’s number 31, Quadri has been seeded number six in the tournament and he began his campaign in main draw alongside Egypt’s Omar Assar who is seeded number nine in the tournament.

    With exits of his compatriots- Ojo Onaolapo and Kazeem Makanjuola in the preliminary round, Quadri was fired up against the Hong Kong player by ensuring victory in the encounter that ended 9-11,  11-9, 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11 in his favour.

    In the round of 32 pairing, Quadri will tackle China Taipei’s Sheng-Sheng Huang later.

    However, the end of the road came quickly for Egypt’s trio of Ahmed Saleh, El-Sayed Lashin and Mohammed El-Beiali in the main draw as they fell to their opponents.

    It would be recalled that Quadri made it to the quarter-finals stage of the Spanish Open in 2014.

  • DOUBLES EVENT: Again, it’s Nigeria, Egypt

    DOUBLES EVENT: Again, it’s Nigeria, Egypt

    Egypt are not too  comfortable facing Nigeria in the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championship but it is obvious both countries’ rivalry will come to the fore in the semifinal of the doubles’ events tomorrow.

    Without any doubt, the coaching crew of the Egyptian team is always afraid whenever they are to meet Nigeria and this was what played out during the final of the team events.

    Nigerian players edged out some of the Egyptian players in the round of 16 before showing the number three, Congo-Brazzaville, the exit in the quarter-final encounter.

    Congo-Brazzaville’s duo of Saka Suraju and Saheed Idowu were seeded number three in the men’s doubles and they were full of hope to make it to the last four. Unfortunately for them, they met their waterloo against Nigeria’s pair of Ojo Onaolapo and Jide Ogidiolu.

    When the Congolese won the first game, they thought it would be an easy route for them to the semifinal but the change in tactics by the Nigerians became the Central African team’s undoing as they fell flat by 4-1 to taste the biggest defeat of the championship.

    Also, Nigeria’s pair of Aruna Quadri and Kazeem Makanjuola were pitched against Congo-Brazzaville’s Abiodun Lawal and Bienatiki Christ. It was the Congolese that drew the first blood by winning the first game. But it did not take the Nigerians 30minutes before sending them packing from the tournament.

    After losing, Congo Brazzaville’s Bienatiki said: “This is the first time I am partnering Lawal Abiodun to play in doubles because he plays in Spain while I am training in China. When we played the Egyptians in the round of 16, we played well but against Nigeria, it was difficult because Aruna Quadri and Kazeem Makanjuola are very strong individually. Also, we missed a lot of begging chances in the encounter and this affected our game. But I know that if we had trained well together, we could have beaten the Nigerian team.”

    Also, the Egyptian teams had an easy win over their Algerian counterparts in the quarter-final encounters.

    Today, Quadri and Makanjuola will battle Egypt’s duo of El-Sayed Lashin and Ahmed Saleh while Onaolapo and Ogidiolu will keep a date with the Assar brothers – Omar and Khalid in the second semi-final tie.

    Also in the women’s doubles, the two Nigerian teams are already in the last four after edging out Egyptian teams in the quarter-final.

    For the semi-final pairing, Nigeria’s duo of Funke Oshonaike and Olaide Atinuke will battle number two seed, Congo-Brazzaville’s pair of Han Xing and Onyinyechi Nwachukwu, while Cecilia Otu-Akpan and Edem Offiong will tackle number one seed, Dina Meshref for a place in the final later today.

    For making it to the last four, Egypt and Nigeria are sure of medals but the colour of the medals can only be decided after the final match later today.

  • South Africa, Djibouti players hail Quadri

    South Africa, Djibouti players hail Quadri

    That he is the best  player in the world does  not matter to Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri and the Portugal-based star has been an inspiration to players across the continent at the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championships in Cairo.

    Players from South Africa, Djibouti and Angola were all over the place trying to have a chat with the Nigerian, whom they described as their role model with his conduct on and off the table.

    For South Africa’s Keegan Lingeveldt, 19, Quadri is a player every African should emulate because he is a fantastic athlete, whose qualities are unrivalled.

    “I admire Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri because he has good accomplishment in the game and even in the team event final against Egypt; he played well and won two matches for his team. But his team let him down, yet he did not get angry with them and he was also encouraging them on table. For this act, I think I respect him for this because that is a good spirit from him,” the South Africa captain said.

    Also, Djibouti’s Mohammed Houmed Saido, 21, believes nothing can stop Quadri from clinching the men’s singles title with his style of play.

    “I have now seen myself that Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri is a world-class player, whom I admire because he is full of confidence and he hardly makes mistakes whenever he is playing. I think he has the ability to win the singles’ title and the only player that can play him well is Egypt’s Omar Assar and for me, he is indeed a champion and a good image for Africa,” Saido said.

    Saido’s compatriot, Mousa Adnan, 18, believes Africa is lucky to have a quality player like Quadri. “I love Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri because he is a fantastic player who plays very well while his precision on table is superb. I think I am going to be watching a lot of his matches to gain something from him,” Adnan said.

  • Onaolapo apologises, eyes revenge against Egypt

    Onaolapo apologises, eyes revenge against Egypt

    For his inability to complete what Aruna Quadri started against Egypt in the final of the men’s team event at the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championship, Nigeria’s Ojo Onaolapo has apologised to Nigerians, while targeting a revenge in the singles.

    “I was just unlucky against Egypt’s Omar Assar and El-Sayed Lashin because all my balls were just unfortunate not to be on the table. I played very well overall but things just went the way of the Egyptians. I know that in the singles event, I will try my best and avenge the defeat I suffered in their hands. It is painful not to complete what Quadri had started but there is still opportunity for me to do that and I hope to achieve that by God’s grace,” the Italy-based star said.

    Also, Jide Ogidiolu, who fell 3-0 to Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh, told SportingLife that he would regain his form in the singles while hoping to make it to the top.

    “I didn’t just know what happened in the match but I am hopeful that I can do well in the singles,” he said.

  • Quadri remains unbeaten as singles event serves off

    Quadri remains unbeaten as singles event serves off

    To confirm his global rating,  Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri remains the only player that has not tasted defeat at the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championship holding in Cairo, Egypt.

    Against the two best players in Africa – Egypt’s Omar Assar and El-Sayed Lashin – Quadri showed his quality as well as underlined the progress he has made globally in the last six months. Like a fighter, he ensured that his records are not halted as he rounded off Assar and Lashin beating them 3-1 each in the team event final to win two matches for Nigeria in the 3-2 defeat the West Africans suffered against the North Africans.

    So far, he has played five matches and won all, while he has been inspiring his teammates in all their matches.

    Also, players from Angola, Sudan as well as Congo-Brazzaville are now looking up to him.

    Angola’s Mayone Neto told SportingLife that Quadri has put Africa on the world map while he has become a role model to young players on the continent.

    “I was happy when I read and watched Quadri being named the best table tennis player in the world. And when I was coming to Cairo for this tournament, I was actually looking forward to meeting him. I saw him and I realised that there is more to him because he is humble and respectable and ready to support the younger players. He is calm and comports himself very well outside the table. I think, this is the quality of an ideal star that some of us should be looking up to,” the Angolan junior champion said.

    Meanwhile, today, the singles and doubles events serve off with Quadri getting a bye to the round of 32.

    Being a knockout format, the singles event will be concluded on Thursday while the 17 countries that featured in the tournament have equally been confirmed as continental representatives at the 2015 World Championship in China come April.