Nigeria’s table tennis icon, Aruna Quadri was no match for Chinese Taipei’s Feng Yi-Hsin in the round of 32 on Friday at the WTT Star Contender.

The world No. 58 stunned the 36-year-old Nigerian with three straight-set victories (13-11, 11-8, 11-8), marking his first-ever win against the highest-ranked African player.

Aruna, who received a bye into the second round, struggled to find his rhythm against the 22-year-old, who had earlier dispatched Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse 3-0 in just 20 minutes.

This loss means Aruna has now competed in three WTT events in 2025, with his best run being a semi-final finish at the WTT Star Contender in Doha, where he lost to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.

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Meanwhile, African champion Omar Assar of Egypt began his Chennai campaign on a strong note.

The No. 5 seed overcame Hong Kong’s Kwan Man Ho despite dropping the first game 4-11. He fought back to win 11-7, 11-3, 12-10, securing a place in the round of 16.

Elsewhere, 16-year-old French sensation Flavien Coton caused an upset by eliminating Spain’s No. 9 seed, Alvaro Robles, in four sets (11-1, 11-3, 6-11, 13-11).

The biggest shock in the women’s singles came when India’s No. 9 seed, Manika Batra, was knocked out by World No. 239, Huang Yu-Jie. The 21-year-old from Chinese Taipei stunned the home favorite with a dominant display (11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9), sending shockwaves through the tournament.

Reported by The Punch