Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna continued his impressive run at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, setting up a semifinal clash against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
Aruna secured his third win at the tournament by defeating Korea’s Park Ganghyeon in an explosive quarterfinal match at the Lusail Arena in Doha.
Earlier on Friday, the second highest-ranked African player in the world avenged his previous losses to Spain’s Alvaro Robles with a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
In the quarterfinal match, Aruna showcased a dominant performance against the Korean qualifier, who had previously eliminated German top seed Patrick Franciska in the second round.
Aruna took control from the start, winning the first game 11-9 and the second game 11-8. Although Park fought back to win the third game 11-4, Aruna regained his composure and clinched the fourth game 11-9, securing a 3-1 victory and advancing to the semifinals.
Aruna remains the only male African player to reach the semifinal stage of the WTT Star Contender, replicating his achievement from the 2022 edition.
He will now face a familiar opponent in Japanese sensation Harimoto; while their last encounter at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in Germany, ended in Aruna’s favour, Harimoto will be seeking revenge when they meet on Saturday, January 11.
