Quadri Aruna Shocked by Eduard Ionescu in Muscat Contender Round of 32

Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna’s run at the 2025 Muscat Contender ended abruptly on Thursday after a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Romania’s Eduard Ionescu in the round of 32 at the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex.

Seeded ninth, Aruna received a bye in the round of 64 and entered the round of 32 with hopes of advancing further. However, the 27th-ranked Nigerian could not overcome 21-year-old Ionescu, ranked 44th globally, who held his nerve to clinch a tense 12-10 victory in the decisive fifth game.

The 32-minute and 27-second match saw both players trade momentum, with Aruna winning the second and third games 11-4 and 11-8, only for Ionescu to bounce back with 11-9 and 12-10 wins in the fourth and fifth. Despite Aruna accumulating 47 points to Ionescu’s 46 and leading at one point by seven consecutive points, the Romanian’s composure at critical moments proved decisive.

Aruna’s exit leaves Omar Assar as the only African remaining in the men’s singles. Assar advanced past Gyuhyeon Park of South Korea and will meet first seed Felix Lebrun of France in the next round. Ionescu, meanwhile, faces fifth seed Woojin Jang on Friday, aiming to continue his surprising run at the $300,000 prize-money event, which also awards 600 ranking points. Aruna takes home $17,000 and 25 ranking points from the tournament.