Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Hana Goda are among the elite table tennis athletes set to compete at the prestigious WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 in Slovenia.
The tournament, which serves as one of the year’s top global table tennis events, runs at the Hala Tivoli arena and features a $300,000 prize pool alongside valuable ITTF World Ranking points.
Quadri Aruna, Africa’s top-ranked table tennis player and world No. 24, enters the men’s singles event as the 14th seed. He has earned a bye into the round of 32 and will face the winner between Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and China’s Xu Haidong on Friday, June 20.
In the women’s singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda seeded No. 15 also received a bye to the second round. She will meet either Japan’s Sakura Yokoi or South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui in her opening match.
Both Aruna and Goda are seen as Africa’s brightest medal hopes at the tournament.
Prize and Ranking Points at Stake
Singles champions in Ljubljana will walk away with $17,000 and 600 ranking points, while doubles winners will claim $5,500 and 600 points. These points are crucial as players battle for seeding positions ahead of the Paris 2025 Olympics and other major competitions.
The tournament boasts a star-studded lineup across five competitive events. Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, the 2025 World Championships runner-up and reigning Ljubljana champion, leads the men’s field. Known as the “Thrill from Brazil,” Calderano will aim to defend his title in style.
He is joined by world-class contenders including:
- Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan), winner at WTT Star Contender Doha 2025
- Felix Lebrun (France), 2024 WTT Champions Montpellier winner
- Darko Jorgic (Slovenia), home crowd favourite and a strong contender
On the women’s side, Japan’s Miwa Harimoto leads the charge after her victory in WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. Fellow Japanese star Hina Hayata will return to defend her Ljubljana title from 2024.
Other top names in the women’s draw include:
- Shin Yubin (South Korea), chasing her first WTT Star Contender title
- Bernadette Szocs (Romania), known for her aggressive play
- Qian Tianyi (China), a top-seeded threat in any draw
With such a diverse and competitive field, the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 promises a week-long spectacle of thrilling matches, dramatic upsets, and high-stakes table tennis.
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