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Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna is set for a thrilling clash with Sweden’s Anton Kallberg on April 16th in the Group 16 decider at the 2025 ITTF World Cup in Macao, China. After suffering three consecutive losses to Kallberg in their past encounters, Aruna is determined to break the streak and claim victory.
Despite playing through a hamstring injury, Aruna secured a solid 3-1 win over Abdel-Kader Salifou of Benin Republic in his opening match. The Nigerian player now has his sights set on avenging his previous defeats and turning the tide against Kallberg.
“I will prepare. It’s one match after the other. I plan to relax on Tuesday, April 15 and see how it goes. I lost to him in our last three meetings, but I hope to get my revenge this time,” Aruna said confidently.
Kallberg, who has dominated their recent encounters, defeated Salifou 4-0 in his opening match, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown with Aruna. The Swedish star shared his thoughts ahead of the clash: “We’ve played quite often in the last few years and know each other well. I’ll review our past matches and prepare accordingly.”
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, and Omar Assar are all eyeing spots in the knockout stage after successful wins in their group openers. Goda will face Austria’s Sofia Polcanov, while Meshref will compete against China’s Man Kuai to determine who advances. Assar, who began his campaign with a 4-0 victory over Cameroon’s Ylane Batix, is now preparing to face South Korea’s An Jaehyun in his final group match at the Galaxy Arena.
“All the players in the tournament are very strong, so there is no easy draw. I have An Jaehyun tomorrow,” Assar remarked after his first win. “He’s a good player. I’ll do my rituals and fight for every point. We’ve played several times before, and I’ll study the game to perform as well as I did today.”
Unfortunately, Egypt’s Mariam Alhodaby, Mohamed El-Beiali, Benin’s Salifou, and Cameroon’s Batix were eliminated from the competition after suffering defeats in their second group matches on April 15.
