Nigerian table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, has displaced Egypt’s Omar Assar to become the highest-ranked African player in the world. Aruna moved up from 19th to 18th in the ITTF week 12 rankings, while Assar dropped from 17th to 19th place.
Despite finishing as runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, Aruna’s stellar performances at the World Table Tennis (WTT) tournaments this year have contributed to his rise. He remains the only African male player to have reached the semi-finals at the WTT Contender Doha, repeating his feat from 2023 earlier this January.
Aruna’s next challenge will be at the WTT Contender Chennai in India, scheduled for March 23 to 20.
In the women’s singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda retained her position as Africa’s top female player, rising to 26th globally, while her compatriot Dina Meshref remained at 33rd.
Globally, China’s Lin Shidong remains the top-ranked male player, with Wang Chuqin in second. In the women’s rankings, China’s Sun Yingsha continues to hold the top spot.
