By Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji, Abeokuta
With just one point, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has displaced Egypt’s Omar Assar as the best ranked African player in the world following the release of the July 2018 ITTF World Ranking.
The ranking which was released yesterday by the world table tennis ruling body has Quadri jumping two steps up to 20 rated player in the world.
The Nigerian was ranked 22 in June, but he has overtaken Assar, who dropped from 17 to 21 in the rating.
With 10234 points, Quadri took over from Assar who has 10233points in the latest ranking.
For the second time this year, Quadri will be breaking into the top 20 in the world having made the same spot in January 2018 – being the first to be achieved by a Nigerian.
For the first time in his career, China’s Fan Zhendong retained the number one spot in the world ranking for the fourth consecutive month.
However, for his compatriot – Ma Long, the reigning Olympic and World champion, it is a very different story; he drops from no.2 to no.6 and occupies what is for him is a most unusual position.
He is the fourth highest ranked player from the People’s Republic of China. Lin Gaoyuan climbs from no.5 to no.3; Xu Xin drops one place to no.6.
Differing fortunes for China’s leading players. It is the same for Germany. Timo Boll climbs two places and is now in the no.2 spot; Dimitrij Ovtcharov falls one rung down the ladder and now occupies the no.4 position.
Progress for Timo Boll and Lin Gaoyuan; it is the same for Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu and Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto. Lee Sangsu advances one place to no.7, Tomokazu Harimoto, the winner on home soil at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Lion Japan Open, climbs two places to no.8.
The effect is that Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting falls from no.7 to no.9; Japan’s Koki Niwa drops three places to no.12. Sandwiched in between, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Frenchman Simon Gauzy both progress one step; Hugo Calderano is now at no.10, Simon Gauzy one position lower.
Higher listings but in the top 100 names, the most impressive progress is that made by Chinese Taipei’s Liao Cheng-Ting alongside China’s Zhou Yu and Zhang Jike.
Liao Cheng-Ting moves from no.46 to no.36, Zhou Yu from no.87 to no.63 and Zhang Jike from no.103 to no.76, as step by step he moves towards former glories.
Higher listings for Zhou Yu and Zhang Jike but for compatriot Fang Bo it is a move in the opposite direction; he drops from no.32 to no.46. Similarly it is a significant downward direction for Frenchman Tristan Flore, as it is for the Japanese duo of Masaki Yoshida and Yuya Oshima.
Masaki Yoshida falls from no.27 to no.40, Yuya Oshima from no.36 to no.50; Tristan Flore formerly at no.80 to the now occupying the no.95 spot.U