Quadri Aruna has leapfrog former European champion Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany to occupy the 12th place in the Week 7 ITTF ranking released on Tuesday February 13, by the world table tennis ruling body.
According to the ranking, the African champion displaced the German who dropped to 13th place in the world rating.
Aruna’s performance at the WTT Star Contender Goa in India aided him in his quest to rise above the 16th spot where he began this year.
However, Egypt’s Omar Assar has dropped to 22nd from 20th in the ranking but he still holds his sway as the continent’s second-best player in the world.
Egyptian veteran Ahmed Saleh gained one step up the ladder to occupy the 52nd place in the world ranking, while Mohamed El-Beiali of Egypt is now ranked 63rd after moving one step up the ranking.
Taiwo Mati remains Nigeria’s second-best ranked Nigerian in the world as the Portugal-based star moved two steps up to be placed 103 in the world.
Egypt’s Mamhoud Helmy is the biggest mover in the ITTF ranking as the former African U-21 champion moved 498 steps up the ladder to be ranked 215 in the world.
In the women’s ranking, Egypt’s Dina Meshref maintained her status as the best ranked African occupying 27th place in the world ranking and she is closely followed by her compatriot – Hana Goda who is ranked 30th.
Fatimo Bello remains Nigeria’s best ranked female player in the world occupying 116th spot in the world.
Later this week, Aruna is expected to lead the Nigerian contingent to the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Busan 2024 in South Korea will be hoping to improve his world rating as the organisers have decided to award individual ranking points to players based on their team performance at the global tournament.
According to ITTF, the introduction of individual ranking points for Busan is part of a broader strategic initiative designed to provide players and teams with a more comprehensive evaluation of their achievements. This initiative seeks to acknowledge individual performances within the framework of team competitions, ultimately elevating the prestige of team events.