Matthew Kuti has ascended to become Nigeria’s second-highest ranked male table tennis player, surpassing 2019 African Games gold medalist Olajide Omotayo in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Rankings for Week 32 of the 2025 season.
Kuti rose six spots to 194th in the global standings, following his impressive title-winning performance at the 2025 West Africa Regional Championships in Lagos, which earned him 75 ranking points. He gained an additional 10 points from the ITTF World Championships Finals in Doha, along with four points from the WTT Contender Lagos, bringing his total to 89 points.
Omotayo, on the other hand, suffered a setback, dropping 37 places to 198th after a disappointing campaign in Lagos. With 78 points to his name, he now risks falling out of the top 200 in the world rankings.
Meanwhile, Quadri Aruna has reclaimed his position as the highest-ranked African player in the world, climbing three spots to 21st with a total of 1,185 points. Despite not competing since the United States Smash in July, Aruna benefited from the ITTF’s rolling 12-month ranking system, which phased out points from rival players, allowing him to overtake Egypt’s Omar Assar in the continental standings.
Just outside the global top 200, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai and Taiwo Mati sit at 205th and 213th, respectively. Abdulfatai’s two-spot climb was driven by his strong showing in Lagos, where he earned all 74 of his ranking points—55 from finishing as runner-up at the West Africa Regional Championships, and 19 more from the WTT Contender Lagos.
