Quadri Aruna Leads Amiens to Second Straight French Pro B Victory
Nigeria’s table tennis star Quadri Aruna is enjoying a strong start to his French Pro B campaign, helping Amiens STT secure a second consecutive league victory with an impressive 3-0 win over Nantes TT on Tuesday, September 29.
The Week 2 fixture had an added Nigerian flavour, with veteran Nigerian table tennis legend Segun Toriola featuring for Nantes. But it was Aruna and his Amiens teammates who controlled the contest from the opening match.
Aruna joined Amiens in May with a clear objective: to help the French club earn promotion back to the elite Pro A division. His latest performance underlined why he is expected to play a central role in that campaign.
Aruna turns the tie around
Amiens entered the match after edging Lille 3-2 in their opening fixture and were given an early boost when Aruna was selected to open the tie against Andre Silva, his former teammate at Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Silva made the better start, taking the opening game 11-7.
Aruna, however, quickly settled into the contest.
The Nigerian raised his intensity and began dictating rallies with his aggressive attacking game. He responded by winning the next three games 11-5, 11-8 and 11-3, completing a 3-1 victory and giving Amiens the advantage.
It was another important contribution from the highest-ranked player in the Amiens squad as the club continued its early push for promotion.
Toriola beaten by Cho Seungmin
Amiens doubled their advantage in the second match when South Korean star Cho Seungmin faced Toriola.
The experienced Nigerian was unable to overturn the deficit as Cho produced a composed performance to win in straight games, 11-5, 11-6 and 11-5.
That left Amiens one victory away from securing the tie.
Former European champion Joao Monteiro then completed the job against Turkey’s Ibrahim Gunduz.
Although Monteiro won 3-0, the match was much closer than the final score suggested. The Portuguese player edged the first two games 11-9 and 12-10 before taking the third 11-7.
Quadri Aruna Leads Amiens to Second Straight French Pro B Victory
Amiens maintain perfect start
The result gives Amiens two victories from their opening two Pro B matches and keeps the club among the early pace-setters in the division.
The team has assembled significant international experience around Aruna, with Monteiro, Austria’s Robert Gardos and Cho Seungmin adding to the squad’s strength.
Elsewhere in the division, Algeria’s Stephane Ouaiche helped Caen TTC to a 3-0 victory over Proville ASL, while Algerian teammate Mehdi Bouloussa and Courbevoie STT lost 3-1 to Boulogne Billancourt AC.
Nigerians Olajide Omotayo and Taiwo Mati were unused substitutes as La Havre secured a 3-1 away victory over Miramas AS.
After two rounds, Amiens remained among the leading teams alongside Caen TTC and Pontoise-Cergy.
For Aruna, the immediate focus is now on maintaining the momentum. Amiens are scheduled to face Compiégnois TT at home on October 23 in Week 3 as they continue their campaign to return to France’s top-flight Pro A division.
With two wins already on the board, Aruna’s form will be an important part of Amiens’ promotion ambitions as the season develops.
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