Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has surpassed Egypt’s Omar Assar to become Africa’s highest-ranked table tennis player, now occupying the 18th position in the Week 12 rankings released on March 18.
Although Aruna finished as runner-up at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, his strong performances at this year’s WTT tournaments have significantly boosted his global standing, according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). He remains the only African male player to reach the semi-finals of the WTT Contender Doha, repeating his 2023 achievement with another semi-final finish earlier this year. This milestone has elevated him above Assar, the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup champion.
Aruna climbed from 19th in Week 11 to 18th in the latest rankings, while Assar dropped from 17th to 19th. Denmark’s Jonathan Groth moved into 17th place, rising from 18th.
Despite a quarterfinal exit at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali climbed to 45th , making him the third-best-ranked African player in the world.
In the Women’s singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda maintained her top spot in Africa, moving up one place to 26th in the Week 12 ITTF ranking. Her compatriot, Dina Meshref, remained static at 33rd, holding her position as the second-best-ranked female player in Africa.
China’s Wang Chuqin retained his position as the second-best player globally, behind his compatriot Lin Shidong, who continues to hold the top spot. Japanese superstar Tomokazu Harimoto dethroned China’s Liang Jingkun as the third-best player in the world after his semi-final finish in Chongqing.
In the Women’s ranking, the top five remained unchanged, with China’s Sun Yingsha holding onto her top spot after retaining her WTT Champions Chongqing title.