Commonwealth Games:Aruna leads Nigeria into Table Tennis semis
Aruna Quadri continue to.live up to its pre-tournament rating at the on-going Commonwealth Games after he secured a semi-final spot in men Table Tennis event.
Aruna Quadri was a delight to watch as Nigeria’s men’s table tennis team secured a semi-finals slot at the ongoing 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
After a sluggish start at NEC Hall 3 on Sunday, an inspired Nigerian side, led by Quadri Aruna, bounced back to defeat Malaysia 3-2.
Nigeria thus joined Singapore, who defeated Canada, in the semis, which hold on Monday.
The Nigerians, who finished their group unbeaten on Saturday, started their quarter-final Team Event on a losing note as duo Olajide Omotayo and Bode Abiodun suffered a 3-1 loss to Javen Choong and Qi Wong in the doubles.
The Nigerian pair won the opening set 11-6 but lost the remaining 12-10, 12-10, 11-7.
But Aruna restored parity for Nigeria as he defeated Chee Leong 3-1 in the second game.
Aruna, who is making his third appearance at the Commonwealth Games, and is in search of his first-ever gold medal at the event, defeated Leong 11-9 in the first set, but lost the second set 11-6 before bouncing back in style to seal victory with an 11-4, 11-5 win in the third and fourth sets respectively.
In the third game, Bode Abiodun couldn’t withstand the firepower of Qi Wong, as he lost in three straight sets 12-10, 14-12, 11-5, to give Malaysia a 2-1 lead.
Nigeria however drew level again for the second time in the quarter-final through Omotayo, who romped to a 3-1 win over Leong in the fourth game.
The African Games champion won the first set 11-8 but lost the second 11-9. He, however, bounced back in the remaining two sets to win 11-7, 11-6 and draw Nigeria level for the second time in the keenly contested tie.
Aruna then sealed Nigeria’s place in the last four despite coming from a set down to beat Choong 3-1 in the decisive game. He lost 11-7 but bounced back to win 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
