Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri became the first
African to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games table tennis
event on Monday after beating London 2012 bronze medallist Germany’s
Timo Boll 4-2 in the fourth round of the men’s singles at Riocentro
Pavilion 3.
The 28-year-old France-based player
defeated the world number 13 in 16 minutes in his third game to send
the Nigerian and Brazilian fans at the venue into rapturous
celebrations.
Quadri, who is attending his second
Olympics, won 12-10 in the first set before taking the second and third
sets 12-10, 11-5. Boll regrouped and won the next two sets 11-3, 11-5
but the Nigerian, who is ranked 40th in the world, took the sixth set
11-9.
The 2014 ITTF Star Player of the Year
had earlier in the third round defeated world number seven, Chinese
Taipei’s Chang Chun-Yuan, to book a place against Boll. He will play
world number one China’s Ma Long, who defeated Korea’s Jeoung Youngsik
in the quarterfinals, on Tuesday (today).
Team Nigeria’s assistant captain, Funke Oshonaike, hailed Quadri for his heroic performance.
The six-time Olympian said, “Aruna won
and I am so proud of him; he’s going to play Ma Long. Let’s wish him
luck and let’s keep praying for him, he can make it.”
Quadri had a bye into the second round where he defeated Slovakia’s Yang Wang 4-1 before overcoming Chun-Yuan 4-0.
He is also the first African to reach
the quarterfinals of the International Table Tennis Federation’s World
Cup for men in 2014.
Aruna Quadri makes Olympic Tennis history
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