What Quadri Aruna did in the last two rounds of matches at the WTT Saudi Smash, he could not do it in his third-round tie against South Korea’s Daeseong Cho for the Nigerian to bow out of the tournament.
In the first-round tie against Indian legend Sharath Achanta, Aruna saved three match points to beat the Indian and he repeated same feat against South Korea’s Lee Sang-su in the second round.
But on Wednesday, May 8, he failed to capitalise on his luck against the Southpaw Korean.
Despite taking a 2-0 (11-6, 11-7) lead in the match, Aruna was taken aback as he fell 5-11, 9-11 in the third and fourth games to allow the Korean to level up the tie.
From the start of the deciding match, the Korean dominated racing to a lead until it was 10-9 for Aruna to win two points and led 11-10, but the Korean turned the tide against the Nigerian to end the clash at 13-11 for the match to end 3-2 in favour of the 21-year-old Korean star.
Even after the match, the Korean admitted getting tips on Aruna’s weaknesses from his fallen compatriot.
“From the first and second set, I felt overwhelmed by my own ambition, which led to me making a lot of mistakes. However, starting from 0-2 down, I managed to clear my mind and focus solely on the game.
Singles – Round of 32, 2024 Saudi Smash, Jeddah,King Abdullah Sports City ,Saudi Arabia,1 May – 11 May 2024
“Lee Sang Su played against Aruna in the second round, so I received tips on what Aruna does at crucial moments and where his weaknesses lie. However, Aruna is already a well-known player. From my perspective, I believe Aruna might not have known me well enough, which could have contributed to today’s victory,” said Cho.
For his efforts in Saudi Arabia, Aruna will be rewarded with 175 ranking points for his last 16 finish which will surely rub off positively on his rating next week.
