Nigeria’s table tennis star Quadri Aruna remains without a win in the World Table Tennis series this year after suffering his eighth consecutive defeat on the tour.
Aruna lost 3–0 to France’s teenage sensation Félix Lebrun in the round of 32 at the WTT Champions Chongqing on Tuesday.
The match took place at the Bloomage Biotech Biohyalux E·C·M Arena in China, where the 19-year-old Lebrun dominated the encounter with a straight-sets victory of 11–5, 11–6, 11–3.
Difficult run on the WTT Tour
The defeat means Aruna is still searching for his first win in the WTT series this season. His last victory on the tour dates back to September 2025, when he defeated China’s Huang Youzheng in the round of 16 of a tournament.
Tuesday’s clash marked the fourth meeting between Aruna and Lebrun.
Aruna’s only victory over the French youngster came at the WTT Contender Durban in South Africa in January 2023, where he secured a narrow 3–2 win.
However, Lebrun has since gained the upper hand in their rivalry, defeating Aruna twice in 2024 and again in Chongqing.
Mixed results this season
While Aruna has struggled on the global WTT tour, he still represented Nigeria at the ITTF Africa Cup in February.
He reached the semi-finals before losing to Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa.
Elsewhere in the competition, Africa’s other representative, Egypt’s Omar Assar, is scheduled to face Japan’s Yukiya Uda in the round of 32.
Despite his recent struggles, Aruna remains one of Africa’s most decorated table tennis players and will hope to rediscover his winning form in upcoming WTT events.
