Aruna Quadri, Africa’s top-ranked table tennis player, reaffirmed his dominance by clinching the men’s singles title at the 2023 ITTF African Championships. Aruna, who entered the tournament as the number-one seed, secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh in the final match played on Sunday.

The victory was particularly meaningful for Aruna, given his mixed history with Tunis. It was at the same venue where he missed out on a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket due to injury. This triumph in Tunis allowed him to erase the painful memory and, as he put it, “cherish the victory.”

“I am happy with the title because I have a good and bad memory of Tunis, having got injured here during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification. Winning another title here is good to erase the bad memory.”

🥇 Incredible performance by Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna at the 2023 ITTF-Africa Senior Championship!

He dominated the men’s singles final, defeating Ahmed Saleh 4-0 (11-2, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6).

A well-deserved victory for King Aruna! 🎉👑 #ArunaQuadri #ITTFAfrica2023 pic.twitter.com/WgKzMHytdK

— Bounce Sports (@bouncesports1) September 17, 2023

A jubilant Aruna expressed his happiness at the win, stating, “This win will remain with me for a long time. I am happy, and I look forward to the next challenge.”

In the women’s singles category, Egyptian teenage sensation Hana Goda made headlines by dethroning her compatriot Dina Meshref. Goda, who is just 15 years old, displayed remarkable prowess as she triumphed over defending champion Meshref with a score of 4-1 in the final.

Overwhelmed by the victory, Goda described it as “special” and expressed gratitude for the support of Tunisian fans. “This is special, especially with the support from the Tunisian fans. I will cherish this for a long time to come,” she shared.