Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna saw his campaign at the 2025 Muscat Contender come to an early end on Thursday after a tense five-game showdown that resulted in a 3–2 defeat to Romania’s Eduard Ionescu.
The round of 32 match at the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex was a high-intensity contest, with momentum swinging back and forth as both players battled for control.
Aruna, the ninth seed who received a bye in the first round, was widely expected to advance. Despite dropping the opening game, he quickly found form, dominating the next two games 11–4 and 11–8. At that point, the Nigerian looked poised to take charge of the match, but Ionescu mounted a strong response.
The 21-year-old Romanian, ranked 44th in the world, edged the fourth game 11–9 and showed remarkable composure in the decider, clinching it 12–10 to seal a stunning upset. The match lasted just over 32 minutes, but every rally felt crucial.
Interestingly, Aruna finished with more total points—47 compared to Ionescu’s 46—but the Romanian won the decisive moments. Both players matched each other closely on serve, with Aruna taking 24 service points to Ionescu’s 23, and each collecting 23 points on return.
Aruna even put together a run of seven straight points at one stage, but Ionescu’s relentless pressure ultimately tipped the scales.
With Aruna now out of the tournament, Egypt’s Omar Assar becomes the last African still competing in the men’s singles. Assar defeated South Korea’s Gyuhyeon Park and will next face world No. 7 Felix Lebrun.
Ionescu advances to today’s round of 16, where he will face fifth seed Woojin Jang as he looks to continue his impressive run.
The Muscat Contender features a total prize pool of $300,000, with 600 ranking points awarded to the eventual champion.
Aruna exits the competition with $17,000 in prize money and 25 ranking points.
