Aruna, Assar battle for $275,000 prize money at WTT Star Contender Chennai

Africa’s top table tennis stars, Quadri Aruna of Nigeria and Omar Assar of Egypt have been named among the top seeds for the 2025 WTT Star Contender Chennai, a prestigious tournament featuring a $275,000 prize pool.

The event boasts a strong lineup, including Japan’s world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto and Brazil’s world No. 5 Hugo Calderano, who are the top two seeds in the Men’s Singles. Denmark’s Jonathan Groth is seeded third, followed by Aruna at No. 4 and Assar at No. 5.

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Both Aruna and Assar have received byes to the second round (last 32), where they will begin their quest for ranking points and a share of the prize money. Aruna, who replaced Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, aims to surpass his 2024 second-round finish and make a deep run in India.

The five-day tournament takes place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, showcasing elite talent across five disciplines. Qualifying rounds begin on March 26, with the main draw matches running from March 27-30.