ARUNA SET FOR TOUGH CLASH WITH FÉLIX LEBRUN AT WTT CHAMPIONS CHONGQING
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Nigeria’s table tennis star Quadri Aruna will return to action at the WTT Champions Chongqing on Tuesday when he faces France’s teenage sensation Félix Lebrun in the men’s round of 32.
Currently ranked world No. 48, Aruna will be competing in his third World Table Tennis tournament of the season as he searches for his first victory of the year. The Nigerian lost his opening matches at the WTT Star Contender Doha and the Singapore Smash in February.
Tuesday’s encounter will be the third meeting between the two players, with Aruna holding one win from their previous clashes.
The Nigerian recorded his last victory over the Frenchman with a hard-fought 3–2 triumph at the WTT Contender Durban in South Africa in January 2023.
However, Lebrun gained the upper hand in their two meetings in 2024 at the WTT Star Contender Goa and the WTT Champions Chongqing, winning 3–0 and 3–2 respectively.
Both players will renew their rivalry in Chongqing with a place in the round of 16 at stake.
Aruna heads into the match under pressure, as the 37-year-old is currently winless in his last five matches on the World Table Tennis circuit.
In contrast, Lebrun has lost just one of his last five matches, suffering a 4–1 defeat to world No. 1 Wang Chuqin at the Singapore Smash earlier this month.
Despite his struggles on the WTT tour, Aruna represented Nigeria at the ITTF Africa Cup in February, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa.
At the previous edition of the WTT Champions Chongqing, Aruna suffered a 3–0 defeat to Wang Chuqin in the opening round, and he will be hoping for a stronger performance against Lebrun this time.
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