Following the recurring thigh injury he sustained during the African Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tunis at the weekend, Africa’s best ranked player, Aruna Quadri, has been ruled out of action for three weeks.
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The Nigerian produced one of the biggest upsets in the whole tournament, beating Japanese star Jun Mizutani in a seven-game epic
He trailed 1-2, but Quadri, well known for his comebacks and fighting spirit, shone through on this occasion, saving two game points in game four before going on to recover from 4-9 down to win game five 11-9
Already, the Nigerian has been listed among the 16-man seeding list for the $145,000 prize money championship as most of the players are targeting ranking points in the Asia city.
Despite being seeded 22 in the men’s singles, Quadri will start his campaigns from the preliminary round just like what happened at the German Open.
Having fought hard from the first round of the championship, Quadri thrilled the Hungarian fans with his superb style of play coupled with his ferocious forehand that most times dazed the German
In the draw conducted at the weekend, Onaolapo has been handed a tough draw as he is expected to battle Hong Kong’s Tianyi Jiang and Italy’s Matteo Mutti in Group 17 for a place in the main draw
Nigeria will be presenting the largest number of players with the highest ranked player in the continent, Aruna Quadri, leading four other Nigerians to the championship, while African Champion, Egypt’s Omar Assar, will be competing alongside his sibling, Khaled, in the competition
Aruna told the News Agency of Nigeria on telephone from his Portugal base that the Hungarian Open will serve as World Championships preparation in May in Germany