Africa’s hopes at the 2025 ITTF World Cup came to an end on Wednesday as Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna—Africa’s last man standing—was eliminated following a straight-sets loss to Sweden’s Anton Källberg in Macao, China.
Aruna, who carried the continent’s final hopes into the knockout stage, succumbed 4–0 to a dominant Källberg, who recorded a clinical (14–12, 13–11, 11–9, 11–2) victory.
The Swedish star has remained unbeaten in the tournament so far, winning all eight matches in Stage 1.
The defeat marks a disappointing finish for Africa at this year’s tournament, with none of the continent’s representatives advancing past the group stage.
Earlier in the competition, Abdel-Kader Salifou of Benin Republic, Egypt’s Omar Assar, as well as top female players Dina Meshref and Hana Goda, were all eliminated.
Assar—Africa’s top-ranked player and reigning ITTF Africa Cup champion—fell 3–1 to South Korea’s Jeahyun An in a closely contested match.
On the women’s side, Meshref put up a solid fight before losing 3–1 to China’s Man Kuai, while teenage sensation Hana Goda also bowed out with a 3–1 loss to European standout Sofia Polcanova.
Despite his commanding win over Aruna, Källberg expressed respect for his Nigerian opponent.
“We’ve played quite a few times recently and know each other well,” said Källberg after the match. “He is really strong with a big forehand, so I had to be careful. I’ve beaten him in the past, so I had a clear idea of the tactics I wanted to use.”
As the 2025 ITTF World Cup progresses, Africa will now look ahead to regroup and refocus for future global competitions.
