Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri in the early hours of Monday, became the first African to qualify for the quarter-final of the table tennis men’s singles of the Olympic Games.
Quadri defeated former world number one, six-time European champion and current world number 13th, Timo Boll 4-2 in a Round of 16 clash at the 2016 ongoing Rio Olympics.
The reigning African champion raced to a 3-0 lead 12-10, 12-10, 11-5 before Timo who is Germany’s flag bearer at Rio 2016 fought back to win the next two sets 11-3, 11-5, while undaunted Quadri won the last set 11-9 to create another upset at the Olympics. “This is amazing! I don’t know what to say. My fans made me to achieve this. I thank all Brazilian spectators for their support.
They gave me so much energy. This feels so good. It is a dream come true that I am in the quarter-finals of the Olympics,” said an elated Quadri, who will later tonight (8pm) face the current world number one. MA Long of China for a place in the semi-final.