Aruna Quadri has beaten world number 4 Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan 3-0 to hit quarterfinal of the 2023 World Table Tennis Singapore Smash in the early hours of Thursday.
It was a comprehensive victory for the African Number One ping pong man who outsmarted his opponent in the three sets of the game 11-7, 13-11, 11-7.
READ MORE: Quadri Aruna trudges on at Singapore Smash
Aruna had earlier defeated French teen Alexis Lebrun 3-2 after rallying from a set down at the Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Arena on Tuesday.
Although Harimoto has beaten the Nigerian in their last three meetings, the African champ was able to show an improved performance against his to seeded opponent.
READ MORE: Aruna escapes first-round scare at WTT Singapore Smash
Incidentally, all of their last three meetings have been in the round of 16 of different competitions, and while the Japanese emerged victorious in all, Aruna picked his bargaining chip on Thursday.
Aruna will now face the winner of Hugo Calderano vs. Darko Jorgic in the next round of the competition.
