Since 2018, Quadri Aruna has made it to the finals of most of the continental championships. In the absence of Omar Assar in 2018, the Nigerian claimed the men’s singles title at the expense of Egyptian veteran Ahmed Saleh in Mauritius. Since then, Aruna has not given up that on Friday, September 9 in Algiers, he ended his winless run in a fashionable manner. Sportsafricana.com writes on the rivalry between two of Africa’s best table tennis players.
Before Friday, September 9, 2022, Quadri Aruna had played in all finals of African table tennis championships since 2018. His last win was in that year in Mauritius where he defeated Ahmed Saleh of Egypt to be crowned the continent champion.
Since that last win in 2018, Aruna has been unlucky in the tournament. Despite making it to the finals in 2019, 2020 and 2021, he failed to claim the title each year.
And so when he made it into the 2022 final in Algiers, Algeria again September 9, 2022, many table tennis pundits and fans hoped Aruna would put an end to his winless run.
Yes, Aruna did. But the icing on the cake for the Nigerian was the manner he reclaimed the title against his arch-rival Omar Assar of Egypt.
Before the final of the men’s singles against Assar, Aruna only managed to drop a game against Assar’s sibling – Khaled – in a 4-1 quarterfinal win. However, in the final against the senior Assar, the Nigerian was behind twice in the encounter.
The first two games were dominated by the Egyptian who won 11-8, 11-9. But in the third game Aruna fought back to put the tie at 2-1, winning 11-8.
The arena were thrilled by Aruna’s win and expected an epic battle. Then Assar regained his lead with an 11-6 win to put the match at 3-1.
At this point, the Egyptian needed just a win more to put the encounter beyond Aruna.
However, the tide turned for Aruna as a change of tactics allied to his never-say-die attitude on table put him back into the match, winning the next two games at 11-7, 13-11 to tie at 3-3.
The final game had all the elements of a classic writ large over it as both players gave it their best. Aruna raced ahead to lead 7-3 but Assar fought back to level at 7-7.
At 7-7, it was clear that the match could go either way. But Aruna knew he could not afford to lose another final. The Nigerian dug deeper into his bag of table tennis tricks at 12-12 to pick two consecutive points, which handed him a 14-12 win – his first win in four consecutive years.
Since their maiden encounter in 2010, Aruna and Assar have clashed 17 times. The Egyptian has had the upper hand with nine wins while Aruna has eight triumphs under his belt.
An elated Aruna described the Algiers encounter as his best performance in recent times: “It is always never over until it is over because we both started from 0-0. Don’t forget that in the first game I was leading 5-1; I lost and also lost some chances but of course, I didn’t give up. I was just fighting and fighting because I knew if it were my game then it would definitely happen, if not it would never happen. So, I kept fighting and fighting, kept believing in myself, I was never going to give up even when I was trailing him. I just believed and it worked for me,” Aruna said.
The Nigerian table tennis super star added: “Everyone who features in any competition wants to win. Our country believes in us, that is why they sent us here. and I believe I could win. But I didn’t know it would be possible like this though I always believe in myself.
“Don’t forget that in the last five editions of the African championships, I was always in the final and this means I have not won the title for four years. I’m very happy to win, finally, after three years of missing out on the title.”
Aruna recalled the 2022 ITTF Africa Cup in Lagos where he lost the title to Assar while playing with an injury in the final game – to the disappointment of the home fans.
He said: “I was really determined to break my winless jinx in Lagos last May and I gave it my all in the final encounter. Even when he (Assar) was leading, I came back into the match at 3-3. In the final game, I was leading 4-0. Everything was working for me until I sustained a thigh injury during a rally, and I had to surrender the match to him.
“I should have won in Lagos as I was in the best position to win. But of course, in sport things like that happen. But in Algiers, I should not have won because I was trailing him 3-1. My victory was to compensate for my efforts in Lagos and I believe that everything happened for a reason.”
Expectedly therefore, Algiers would remain indelible for Aruna: “Being my first win over Assar in Algeria and in the city of Algiers, this would remain in my memory for a long time to come. This is because I regained my title here, which I lost in 2019 to Assar also in this country. I have reclaimed it back from him here again. Algiers will remain evergreen with me,” the new African championship winner stated.
Aruna added philosophically: “You should not give up. This is sport. Nobody will win all the time. It is 50-50, you win, or you lose and when we lose, we learn a lot. When we win, we actually do not learn that much. Losing gives you the opportunity to come back stronger. So, you should not give up, just like me. I didn’t win anything in the last four years. I have always played very well. But I didn’t give up, I kept fighting and fighting. So in life one should not give up.”
According to the highly regarded table tennis umpire, John Peters, the rivalry between Aruna and Assar has brought glamour and excitement to table tennis in Africa.
“When you watched these two players play, you enjoy every moment of the match. Their match is always like a classic, and they have proved that they remain the best players on the continent. They have attracted a lot of people to the sport through their performance and they remain shining examples for upcoming players. I cannot afford to miss their match because it is always action packed,” Peters said.