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Quadri Aruna kicked off 2025 with a significant victory on Thursday, January 9, by defeating British champion Liam Pitchford to advance to the third round of the men’s singles at the WTT Star Contender Doha in Qatar.
Earlier in the competition, Egypt’s Dina Meshref was unable to overcome China’s Chen Yi, exiting the eomen’s singles in the second round with a 3-1 loss.
As the only remaining African competitor and the fifth seed, Aruna navigated the challenging style of Pitchford to avoid an early exit.
Despite losing the first game 10-12, Aruna bounced back to win the next three games at 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, securing his spot in the third round.
Next, Aruna will face Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who also advanced by defeating a Japanese contender in the second round.
The men’s singles draw saw a major upset with the third seed, Patrick Franziska of Germany, being eliminated in the round of 32. Franziska initially led against Park Ganghyeon of the Korea Republic but ultimately lost 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).
Frenchman Thibault Poret continued his impressive run in Doha, defeating No.14 seed Lim Jonghoon of Korea Republic (11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8) to reach his first round of 16 at the WTT Star Contender stage.
In the women’s singles, Britt Eerland celebrated advancing to the last 16 after a notable 3-1 win over No.14 seed Manika Batra of India (10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3). Eerland overcame an early setback in game one to win three consecutive games.
Romania’s Bernadette Szocs also demonstrated remarkable resilience, coming from behind to defeat China’s Zong Geman in five games (3-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9), showcasing her fighting spirit and determination.
