Despite a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Quadri Aruna in the second round of the Men’s Singles at the Singapore Smash 2025, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano admitted that the Nigerian remains a formidable opponent in any competition.
Calderano had to rally from a 1-0 deficit to secure his win with scores of 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, and 11-6, advancing to the third round. This victory gives Calderano a 3-1 lead in their last four encounters.
Reflecting on the match, Calderano said, “I always knew Aruna was a very dangerous player. He can come back from 2-0 down, and he showed that again today. Everyone knows how capable he is of winning these kinds of matches. It was another valuable experience playing against him.”
In the Women’s Singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda was eliminated by China’s Man Kuai in the second round. Despite matching her opponent in power and skill, Goda ultimately fell 3-1 (11-1, 5-11, 11-1, 12-10).
The Egyptian contingent, including Omar Assar, Youssef Abdelaziz, Mohamed El-Beiali, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby, also faced early exits, failing to progress beyond the first round of the $1.5 million tournament.
Aruna, however, remains optimistic and is looking forward to competing in the WTT Champions in China next month. For now, his focus is on defending his title at the 2025 African Cup in Tunisia later this month.
