Egypt’s tennis star, Omar Assar has displaced Nigeria’s poster boy Quadri Aruna as the top-ranked player in Africa after moving up five places to secure the 17th spot in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) ranking.
The latest ITTF ranking was announced on Tuesday, August 6, during Week 32 of 2024.
This shift has placed Assar who lost 4-1 to Sweden’s Truls Moregard in the Men’s Singles quarterfinal at the ongoing international multi-sport showpiece to the pinnacle of African table tennis, surpassing Quadri Aruna, who now occupies the 20th place.
Other players’ ranking include; Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, who, despite an early exit, climbed six places to 83rd. Olajide Omotayo, the 2019 African Games champion, leapt 12 places to 92nd, becoming the second-best mover in Africa.
Nigeria-born Saheed Idowu, representing Congo Brazzaville, lost a thrilling 4-3 match to Sweden’s Anton Kallberg but won the hearts of many, moving up 16 places to the 100th spot.
Egypt’s Dina Meshref continues to dominate the African rankings, ascending two places to 24th, while Hana Goda also made gains, moving up to 31st. Nigeria’s Offiong Edem re-entered the top 100, climbing 14 places to 97th.
The retired Cameroonian star Sarah Hanffou concluded her career ranked 109th, and Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello significantly jumped 26 places to 118th in the latest rankings.
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