Quadri Aruna’s ascent to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings continues steadily, with the Nigerian advancing to the 16th position, making him the highest-ranked African player in Week 23 of the 2024 ITTF rankings released by the global governing body of table tennis on Tuesday, June 4.
In his pursuit of accumulating more points prior to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France, Aruna is set to face local favorite Frane Kojic in the initial round of the men’s singles at the 2024 WTT Contender Zagreb event held in Serbia. Aruna’s climb in the rankings began in Week 22 following his impressive performance in the round of 16 at the Saudi Smash tournament last month. The ITTF Executive Board granted his appeal to reinstate his World Table Tennis Championships points, resulting in his advancement to the 16th position in the most recent rankings.
Nonetheless, Aruna eagerly anticipates official confirmation from the ITTF regarding his qualification for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games on June 11, when the world rankings will determine the final roster of players heading to the bustling city of Paris next month.
On the other hand, Spain’s Alvaro Robles has emerged as the most notable climber in the ITTF rankings, achieving another career peak. Robles last attained a personal best ranking over six years ago, commencing 2018 at No. 37 globally, and has not reached that height since. With his latest ranking, Robles surged 15 places to No. 32, surpassing his previous record by five positions.
This remarkable achievement underscores Robles’ unwavering dedication to the sport and his outstanding recent performances, highlighted by reaching the final of two WTT events in 2024, including the recent WTT Contender Mendoza. Despite narrowly missing out on the championship title in a thrilling seven-game battle against Benedikt Duda of Germany, the new career-high ranking serves as motivation for Robles to strive for even greater heights.
