Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna opened his 2025 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Benin’s Abdel-Kader Salifou in Macao on day one.
The world No. 20 showed resilience to secure the win with scores of 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 in what was a rematch of their previous African Cup encounter.
“It is always tough to play the first match in these events,” Aruna said after the match. “Getting a 2-0 lead gave me some confidence. He came back strongly in the third and fourth games, but I stayed calm and held on. I am really happy and satisfied with my performance.”
The contest featured several momentum shifts, with Salifou mounting a comeback after losing the first two games. The Beninese player even led 8-6 in the fourth game before Aruna rallied to win five of the next seven points to close the match.
Salifou, competing in just his second international appearance for Benin following a five-year hiatus, acknowledged the missed opportunity. “I had chances to draw level. I was leading 8-6 in the fourth, but credit to Aruna for fighting back,” he said. “I will keep giving my best and focus on the next match.”
In other African results, Egypt’s Hana Goda dominated her opening match with a comprehensive 4-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-4, 11-8) victory over Malaysia’s Seak Hui Li. Fresh from her African Cup triumph, Goda never allowed her opponent to gain a foothold in the match.
Fellow Egyptian Dina Meshref also started strongly in her eighth World Cup appearance, defeating Zhu Chengzhu 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 11-5, 6-11).
The opening day of the tournament also saw straight-set victories for Japan’s Hiroto Shinozuka, Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar, and China’s Huang Youzheng. At the same time, Eugene Wang’s 2-2 draw against Yukiya Uda provided the day’s biggest surprise in this revamped World Cup format.
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