Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna exited the ITTF World Cup after Sora Matsushima beat him in straight sets during Group 6’s final match.
The defeat at Galaxy Arena in Macao ended Aruna’s campaign, highlighting Matsushima’s dominance in the high-stakes encounter.
Aruna Outplayed by World No. 8 in 3-0 Rout
Needing victory to keep his hopes alive following an opening defeat, Quadri Aruna was outplayed by the world number eight, who sealed a 3-0 win in just 17 minutes and 35 seconds.
Matsushima took the game 12-10, 11-3, 11-5, dominating from start to finish and closing off any route to the knockout stage for the Nigerian.
Aruna faced pressure entering the match after Tomislav Pucar crushed him 3-0: 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 in their debut clash.
Pucar Rout Raises Stakes for Aruna vs Matsushima
This straight-sets defeat heightened stakes against Matsushima, testing Nigeria’s top seed in the grueling Group 6 round-robin.
The setback left him needing a strong response, but he struggled to find rhythm against Matsushima.
The Japanese star won 34 points to Aruna’s 18, including 20 points on his own serve while conceding just seven.
Aruna won just 11 points on serve and seven on return against Pucar, suffering heavy concessions in both phases.
Aruna’s Five-Point Surge Fails Against Croatian Pressure
Despite a brief surge of five straight points, he couldn’t overcome the Croatian’s relentless pressure throughout the match.
The defeat confirms Aruna’s early exit and extends a difficult spell on the global stage. The
37-year-old is now winless in 10 consecutive matches in major international competitions.
His last victory came against Huang Youzheng in September 2025, with just one game won across his last 14 matches.
Aruna’s Recent Losses to Harimoto, Moregardh, Top Stars
He also fell to Simon Gauzy, Ovidiu Ionescu, Liang Jingkun, Zhou Qihao, and Felix Lebrun in tough battles.
Aruna remains the only African to reach a World Cup quarter-final following his 2014 run in Dusseldorf.
Nigeria’s Macao campaign ends with Aruna’s exit; he now shifts focus to the World Team Championships in London.
The event later this month offers redemption, as Nigeria aims to shine in the team competition abroad.
