Aruna bows out to Calderano at ITTF World Championships

Brazilian Hugo Calderano ended Quadri Aruna’s fine run at the ongoing ITTF World Championship in Doha with an emphatic 4-0 victory yesterday.

The highly anticipated match between the two continental giants; Africa’s Aruna and South America’s Calderano saw the dominance of the latter over the former on Table 1 in Lusail sports hall.

The Brazilian dominated the rhythm of the game, outclassing Aruna to reach a double-digit in the results when it ended 4-11, 4-11, 4-11 and 6-11.

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The African champion maintained a permanent 4 points scoreline in the first three rounds before assailing to grab 6 points in the fourth round, reflecting a below par performance compared to their encounter at World Tennis Table (WTT) Singapore Smash in February.

At the WTT Singapore Smash, Aruna took the lead in the first round with 11-8 before the Brazilian rallied back to win 11-9, 11-5 and 11-6 to win the match in the round of 16.

Road to the Round of 32

Despite Aruna’s exit, he had put up impressive results, opening with a commanding 4-0 win over Calderano’s compatriot Victor Ishiy, followed by a thrilling 4-2 victory against Norwegian left-hander Borgar Haug.

In the third round, he continued his fine form by overcoming Germany’s Benedikt Duda 4-2.

Aruna and Calderano are widely regarded as modern icons of table tennis in their respective regions.

Their relentless spirit and global achievements have earned them legendary status. Both made history as the first players from Africa and South America to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games at Rio 2016, and each has claimed multiple continental titles and broken into the world’s top 10 rankings.

Currently, Calderano is enjoying the best form of his career. He recently captured the 2025 ITTF World Cup title in Macao, defeating world No. 1 Li Shidong and No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China—becoming the first South American to win the prestigious trophy.