Aruna Suffers Early Exit At Doha Tennis Tournament

It was a disappointing start for Africa’s table tennis stars at the ongoing WTT Champions Doha, as Quadri Aruna of Nigeria and Hana Goda of Egypt crashed out early in the singles event of the $500,000 tournament taking place at the Lusail Sports Arena, Qatar.

Egypt’s Omar Assar was the first to fall, losing 3-1 to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami on Wednesday.

What could have been a breakthrough for Goda ended in defeat despite a spirited performance against former world No. 1 Zhu Yuling. Yuling, who enjoyed a stellar 2025 capped by victory at the United States Smash, proved too experienced for the Egyptian prodigy.

Goda, however, continues to break new ground, having become the only African player to reach the Women’s Singles quarterfinals at WTT Champions level—first at Montpellier 2024 and again at Frankfurt 2025.

In Doha, Goda lost the opening game 11-8 but rallied to dominate the second 11-5. The third and fourth games were enthralling, filled with rallies and precision. Goda came close to victory in the third, but Yuling’s composure carried her through 15-13.

The fourth followed a similar pattern, with Goda fighting for every point before Yuling sealed the match 12-10 to complete a 3-1 win.

For Aruna, it was a one-sided affair as China’s Liang Jingkun, the tournament’s sixth seed, claimed a convincing 3-0 victory.

Despite the loss, Aruna showed glimpses of his trademark power, suggesting he is warming up into the new season.

African hopes now turn to the upcoming WTT Star Contender Doha 2026, scheduled for January 13–18, where Aruna, Assar, and Goda are expected to be joined by other African stars in what promises to be another thrilling showcase at the Lusail Sports Arena.

In May 2022 Goda became the youngest player to win the ITTF Africa Cup event when she was 14 years and 7 months old. She competed for Egypt at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Aruna is the first African player to be ranked in the top 10 in the world.