2022 C’wealth Games: Quadri, Omotayo humiliate South African opponents

Aruna Quadri

SENSATIONAL Quadri Aruna led Team Nigeria to a good start on Friday in the ongoing 22nd Commonwealth Games as he triumphed alongside Olajide Omotayo in the men’s team group 2 table tennis opening fixtures decided at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

As the 2018 Commonwealth Games men’s singles silver medallist, Aruna and Omotayo triumphed, Omotayo also paired Amadi Omeh to win in the men’s doubles.

Ranked no 12 in the world and number one in Africa, Aruna humbled South African Shaun Jones in three straight sets (11-6, 11-3, 12-10) while Omotayo equalled the feat also against a South African, Chetan Nathoo (11-9, 11-6, 11-6) in another men’s singles fixture.

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It will be recalled that Aruna, the first African to play in the quarter-final of the Olympics [Rio 2016] lost 2-4 in the final of the men’s singles at the Gold Coast 2018 to Ning Gao of Singapore as the game ended 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 3-11, 5-11.

In the men’s doubles, Omotayo and Omeh beat South African Theo Cogill and Nathoo by three straight sets of 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

The duo of Omotayo and Omeh in the evening fixture on Friday also outclassed their Ghanaian opponents, Commey Emmanuel and Abrefa Derek 11-7, 11-3, 11-9. In their second game of the day, Aruna returned to beat Ghana’s Emmanuel Asante 11-3, 11-3, 11-6, as Omotayo also defeated Derek Abrefa 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.