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Nigeria’s table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, continued his impressive start to life in the French Pro B League as he inspired Amiens STT to a second consecutive victory with a commanding performance against Nantes TT on Tuesday, 29 September.
Aruna, who joined the French side in May with the objective of helping the club regain promotion to the elite Pro A division, played a pivotal role in Amiens’ latest triumph.
The Week 2 encounter carried added significance as Nantes TT featured Nigerian legend Segun Toriola, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated fixtures of the round.
Fresh from a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Lille in their opening match, Amiens entered the contest full of confidence. Led by Aruna, the highest-ranked player in the squad, the team boasts a wealth of international experience, including Portugal’s former European champion Joao Monteiro, Austria’s Robert Gardos and South Korean star Cho Seungmin.
As expected, Aruna was entrusted with opening the tie and was matched against Andre Silva, his former teammate at Sporting Clube de Portugal. Despite dropping the first game 11-7, the Nigerian quickly found his rhythm and asserted his superiority. Displaying his trademark attacking style and relentless intensity, Aruna swept the next three games 11-5, 11-8 and 11-3 to hand Amiens an early advantage.
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The visitors extended their lead when South Korea’s Cho Seungmin faced veteran Toriola. Seungmin produced a clinical display, overcoming the former African champion in straight games, 11-5, 11-6 and 11-5, to put Amiens firmly in control of the contest at 2-0.
Amiens sealed victory through Joao Monteiro, who defeated Turkey’s Ibrahim Gunduz in a closely contested encounter. Although the Portuguese star won 3-0, the scoreline did not reflect the competitiveness of the match, with Monteiro edging the games 11-9, 12-10 and 11-7.
The victory maintained Amiens’ perfect start to the season and strengthened their position among the league’s leading teams. Elsewhere in the Pro B, Algeria’s Stephane Ouaiche helped Caen TTC secure a 3-0 win over Proville ASL, while his compatriot Mehdi Bouloussa and Courbevoie STT suffered a 3-1 defeat to Boulogne Billancourt AC. Nigerian duo Olajide Omotayo and Taiwo Mati were unused substitutes as La Havre recorded a 3-1 away victory over Miramas AS.
After two rounds of matches, Amiens remained among the pace-setters alongside Caen TTC and Pontoise-Cergy. With momentum firmly on their side, Aruna and his teammates will now turn their attention to their Week 3 home clash against Compiégnois TT on 23 October, eager to continue their strong push towards promotion.
