African Youth Champion and bronze medallist at the 2022 ITTF African Senior Championships, Taiwo Mati, has gained 64 steps up the ladder of the latest ITTF ranking as Nigeria’s second-best rated player in the world.
His compatriot and current African champion Quadri Aruna maintained his grip on the top echelon of the continental ranking after moving to 14th in the world.
The 17-year-old Mati who made the three-man contingent to Algiers for the ITTF African Senior Championships, stunned three-time African champion Ahmed Saleh of Egypt with a 4-3 win in the quarterfinal to make it to the semifinal of the men’s singles in Algiers, where he eventually lost to Aruna has been rated 91st in the ranking being his highest career ranking.
In the ranking released yesterday by the world table tennis ruling body, Mati is now the sixth best African player in the world behind the likes of Aruna, Omar Assar of Egypt (22), Saleh of Egypt (66), Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal (72), Mehdi Bouloussa of Algeria (86) and Mati (91).
Mati is now the second-best rated Nigerian in the world following his performance in Algiers.
