World no 16 Table Tennis player, Quadri Aruna said he is looking forward to play against World no 1 World no 1, Fan ZhenDong in the 2024 season.
Aruna’s good run at the WTT Finals Doha 2023 came to a gallant end after suffering a 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-4) defeat to Fan ZhenDong on Thursday.
In an interview monitored by www.aclsports.com, the African Champion revealed that his calculations did not work as planned against ZhenDong.
Aruna said he came prepared in the quarterfinals but his forehand did not click in the first set.
He said, “I am very and satisfied with my performance. Unfortunately, my calculations did not work as planned but I tried so hard; probably if I had won a set, things would have changed a bit.
“We will meet again and I am always positive against him; I think it is possible to beat him. It is once in a life time and looking forward to shocking him in the future.
“I came prepared for him in the quarterfinals. In the first set, my forehand was not working and I lost so many points which is not normal. Next time, I will definitely win a set and see how it will go”.
Aruna thanked his fans across Africa for always supporting him during International Championships.
He said, “I want to say thanks to my fans in Africa; they are the reason I keep going. Their supports mean a lot to me and God bless all of them”.
The Chinese has dominated the Nigerian in their last four meetings dropping only a game in all their ties, and at the Infinity Arena in Doha, Zhendong showed why he remains the world best by thwarting all attempts by the African champion to turn the tide.
