Portugal-based table tennis star, Aruna Quadri says he has turned his attention fully on this week’s European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Champions League fixture.
So soon after emerging alongside fellow-Nigerian ping pong star, Bode Abiodun with Sporting Club as back-to-back winners of the Portuguese Super Cup, Quadri says their immediate focus is on Thursday’s tie.
Quadri, though, admitted he is still relishing his team’s feat on Saturday at the expense of ADC Ponta do Pargo, but stressed that they cannot afford to over-celebrate.
After losing their Champions League opener away to Borussia Dusseldorf of Germany, Quadri and Abiodun teamed joined Diogo Carvalho to dump ADC Pargo and retain the Portuguese Super Cup for the fourth time.
Sporting were on the losing side away to Dusseldorf in the ETTU opener but the Portuguese side lined up Quadri, Carvalho and Abiodun against Pargo in the encounter held at Municipal Pavilion of Nespereira, Cinfães.
It was a re-energised Quadri started the onslaught for Sporting with a 3-1 (7-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-9) bashing of Énio Mendes, Carvalho increased the lead with a 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3) win over Sahed Idowu.
Abiodun completed the rout for Sporting with a 3-0 (14-12, 11-5, 11-5) victory over Vítor Amorim.
Being the fourth year in a row that Quadri and Abiodun will be lifting the trophy with Sporting and the Lisbon-based team continues to erase their own record having won the title for 13th time more than any team in Portugal.
For Quadri, the win serves as a god preparation for this week’s ETTU Champions league tie at home to Czech Republic’s TTC Ostrava.
Sitting bottom of Group A, behind the defending champions, Dusseldorf and former champs, France’s AS Pontoise Cergy, Quadri hopes his team will rediscover the form that saw them reach the semifinal in their first outing in the lucrative league.
Quadri said: “We are indeed looking forward to the Champions League match on October 11 at home and we hope that this win will give us the needed motivation to do well against the visiting Czech side.
“Despite losing the first match away to the defending champion, we are still hopeful that we can make it from the group. I am confident that we can do well against the visitors when we clash this week in Lisbon.”
