ITTF World Champion: Aruna, Calderano set to renew rivalry in Doha
The rivalry between two continental kings, Africa’s Quadri Aruna and South America’s Hugo Calderano will be reignited at the 2025 ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, as the two clash in the fourth round of the Men’s Singles on Thursday, May 22, at the Lusail Arena.
Aruna and Calderano have earned their places as modern table tennis icons in their respective continents, thanks to their consistent global performances and their trademark never-say-die attitude on the table.
Both players made history as the first from their continents to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games at Rio 2016 in Brazil. Since then, they have collected multiple continental titles and broken into the top 10 of the ITTF world rankings.
Currently, Calderano appears to be in the best form of his career. The Brazilian recently clinched the 2025 ITTF World Cup in Macao, defeating China’s top two players, Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun, to become the first South American to win the prestigious title.
Aruna’s road to the fourth round in Doha began with a commanding 4-0 win over Calderano’s compatriot Victor Ishiy. He followed that up with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Norwegian left-hander Borgar Haug. In the third round, the Nigerian delivered another impressive performance, defeating Germany’s Benedikt Duda 4-2 on Tuesday, May 20.
Like Aruna, Calderano has looked sharp from the opening round, dispatching Mexico’s Rogelio Castro 4-1 before cruising past Tunisia’s 2024 African Youth Champion Wassim Essid with a dominant 4-0 win.
However, the world No. 3 was tested in the third round by Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko. After falling behind 0-2, Calderano was forced to adjust his tactics to secure a 4-2 comeback victory, setting up a highly anticipated showdown with Aruna.
Speaking ahead of their upcoming clash, Calderano praised Aruna’s resilience and expressed excitement about their encounter.
“Yeah, definitely Aruna is a very strong player,” Calderano said. “He’s been in the top 10 before, and everybody knows him. I’ll be ready for a big fight because he’s also a fighter, so it’s going to be very exciting.”
