Quadri Aruna ends 2025 as the best player in Africa

Nigerian table tennis legend Aruna Quadri has officially ended 2025 as Africa’s highest-ranked men’s player, according to the final annual rankings released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

Quadri closed the year 28th in the world with 1,065 ranking points, making him the only African male player to surpass the 1,000-point mark in the current rankings.

The 37-year-old Nigerian finished well ahead of his closest continental challenger, Omar Assar of Egypt, who ended the year 32nd globally with 965 points.

Quadri’s impressive ranking was built on a demanding international schedule across multiple elite competitions.

One of his standout performances came at the ITTF African Cup in Tunis, where he reached the final to earn 350 points.

He also advanced to the semi-finals of the WTT Star Contender in Doha and reached the round of 16 at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals, also staged in Doha.

Throughout 2025, Quadri competed regularly in major tournaments, including the Singapore Smash and United States Smash, as well as WTT Champions events in Macao, Chongqing, Incheon, Yokohama, and Frankfurt.

His consistent participation and steady results across WTT Contender and Star Contender events played a crucial role in preserving his elite status on the global ranking ladder.

While table tennis remains heavily dominated by Asian and European players, Quadri has continued to assert Africa’s presence at the highest level of the sport.

Globally, China leads the men’s rankings, with Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong occupying the top two positions. Hugo Calderano of Brazil stands as the world’s highest-ranked non-Asian player in third place.

A three-time Olympian (2012, 2016, 2020), Quadri famously reached the quarter-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a historic feat for African table tennis.

In May 2022, he became the first African player to break into the world’s top ten. His career honours include being named ITTF Star Player of the Year in 2014 and winning a Commonwealth Games bronze medal with Team Nigeria in the same year.

Aruna Quadri’s 2025 ranking finish once again reinforces his status as one of Africa’s most influential and enduring sporting icons.