Aruna Quadri, 20 Others Ready to Battle For $250,000 As 2018 ITTF World Cup Begins Today

2018 ITTF World Cup: Aruna Quadri, 20 others set to battle for $250,000 By Admin Nigeria’s table tennis superstar, Aruna Quadri arrived Paris, France on Wednesday for 2018 ITTF World Cup that starts today (Friday) after helping his Portuguese Sporting to their first win of the 2018/2019 European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Champions League. The Rio 2014 Olympic quarterfinalist who is Africa’s only representative at the 2018 ITTF World Cup and will have his hand full against the best talents in the world of table tennis when the three days tournament kicks off today (Friday), October 19. The elite tournament will see 20 best table tennis players in the world competing to share from the prize money of $250,000 and also be looking to improve their ranking points. Quadri, who won 2018 ITTF Lagos open, qualified for the championship based on his impressive world ranking, will begin his Paris adventure from the first round where 12 players will be drawn into four groups of three players in each group. The first and second players in each group join the already seeded eight players to compete in the elimination phase on October 20, while the final takes place on October 21. The 2018 Commonwealth games gold medalist was in high spirit for the tournament and he is eager to repeat or surpass his 2014 achievement in the tournament where he became the first African to make it to the quarterfinal stage of the championship in Dusseldorf, Germany. The golden boy of Nigeria table tennis said he is looking forward to a good draw with the aims of advancing from the group stage to the knockout phase. “I am here to perform like every other player and I am in good shape after the last weekend’s win in the Champions League. Every player competing in the World Cup, are potential champions and I am looking forward to give my best again and hope for the best against the best in the world,” Quadri said. The draws for the first round of the World Cup is scheduled for Thursday (today) at the Disney Event Arena in Chessy, Paris, France.