Aruna begins World Cup with hard-fought win

Quadri Aruna began his 2025 ITTF World Cup campaign with a gritty 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8) win over Benin’s Abdel-Kader Salifou in one of the headline matches on day one of the tournament in Macao.

The tie, a rematch of their ITTF African Cup encounter, was filled with momentum shifts as both players showed flashes of why they are among the continent’s finest. Aruna, however, held his nerve at critical moments, fending off a comeback…