Aruna Faces World Cup Exit With Matsushima Clash

Quadri Aruna is on the brink of an early exit at the ITTF World Cup after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Tomislav Pucar in his opening Group 6 match in Macao on Monday.

The 2026 ITTF World Cup began on March 30 at the Galaxy Arena, bringing together the world’s top players, but Aruna’s campaign got off to a difficult start as he fell 3-0, with Pucar winning 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 in their first-ever meeting.

Aruna, who remains the only African to reach a World Cup quarterfinal following his run in 2014 in Düsseldorf, where he also claimed the ITTF World Player of the Year award, must now beat Sora Matsushima in his next group match on Tuesday morning to keep his hopes of progression alive.

Only the group winner advances to the knockout stage, leaving the Nigerian needing a decisive response against the Japanese opponent if he is to avoid an early exit from the tournament.Pucar dominated large spells of the contest, winning 34 points to Aruna’s 20, including 18 points on his own serve and 16 on return, while also establishing a biggest lead of seven points compared to Aruna’s one.

Although Aruna managed a brief run of five consecutive points, it was not enough to alter the outcome.

The defeat extends Aruna’s struggles on the global stage, leaving him without a win since September 2025 and marking his ninth consecutive loss in major international competitions.

His last victory came against Huang Youzheng in the round of 16, and he has since managed just one game win across his last 13 matches.

That run includes defeats to top opponents such as Tomokazu Harimoto, Truls Moregardh, Omar Assar, Patrick Franziska, Anders Lind, Simon Gauzy, Ovidiu Ionescu, as well as losses in 2026 to Liang Jingkun, Zhou Qihao and Felix Lebrun.