Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Brazil’s Hugo Calderano in the second round of the Men’s Singles at the Singapore Smash 2025, ending his tournament hopes earlier than expected.
Quadri started strong, taking the first game 11-8, but Calderano mounted a comeback, winning the next three games 11-8, 11-9, and 11-6 to secure his place in the third round. With this win, Calderano now leads their last four encounters 3-1.
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Speaking after the match, Calderano acknowledged the Nigerian’s dangerous playing style.
“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,” Calderano said.
In the Women’s Singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda also exited the tournament in the second round after a tough 3-1 loss to China’s Man Kuai (11-1, 5-11, 11-1, 12-10).
Other Egyptian players, including Omar Assar, Youssef Abdelaziz, Mohamed El-Beiali, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby, also suffered early eliminations, failing to advance past the first round of the $1.5 million event.
Despite his early exit, Quadri isn’t dwelling on the loss. He is set to compete at the WTT Champions in China next month but will first focus on defending his title at the 2025 African Cup in Tunisia later this month.