Africa’s hopes suffered an early blow at the WTT Champions Doha after Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s teenage star Hana Goda bowed out of the prestigious singles competition.

The $500,000 tournament at Qatar’s Lusail Sports Arena brought together the world’s elite, but Africa’s campaign stumbled almost immediately.

Egypt’s Omar Assar was the first to exit, falling 3-1 to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami in a match where pace and precision exposed his struggles.

Assar fought hard but found no answer to Togami’s relentless consistency, bowing out in what proved a bruising opening test.

Attention then shifted to Hana Goda, whose clash with former world number one Zhu Yuling became Africa’s brightest yet bittersweet moment.

Despite defeat, Goda earned widespread praise for her maturity, pushing the experienced Chinese star across four fiercely contested games.

Zhu Yuling leaned on composure and experience, honed during her trophy-laden 2025 season to seize control when the pressure peaked.

Goda dropped the first game 11-8 but roared back emphatically, dominating the second 11-5 with fearless attacking play.

The turning point came in a tense third game, where Goda came within inches before Zhu edged it 15-13 in a decisive swing.

The fourth game followed a similar script, with fine margins again going against the African star as Zhu closed it out 12-10 for a 3-1 win.

Even in defeat, Goda remains Africa’s standard-bearer, standing alone as the continent’s only quarterfinalist in WTT Champions history at Montpellier 2024 and Frankfurt 2025.

In the men’s draw, Quadri Aruna faced an unforgiving task, losing 3-0 to China’s sixth seed Liang Jingkun.

Aruna showed flashes of his trademark firepower, but the gulf in depth and consistency proved decisive as Africa’s last men’s hope fell.

With disappointment in Doha, African focus now shifts to the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026, set for January 13–18 at the same venue.

Officials are promising a stronger African presence, with Aruna, Assar, Goda, and others expected to return, determined to rewrite the narrative.