By Ayo Bada, Lagos
The seeding list of players that will compete at the ITTF Premier Lotto Nigeria Open has been unveiled by the world table tennis ruling body.
The list is made up of 16 men and eight women in the singles while four boys and a girl were also listed in the seeding list of the championship.
In the men’s singles list, four Nigerian players led by 2014 ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri, topping the list.
Quadri is followed by Africa’s most decorated table tennis player, Segun Toriola, who is the first African athlete to be competing in seven Olympic Games.
Other Nigerians on the 16-man list are Portugal-based Bode Abiodun and Ojo Onaolapo, who were rated sixth and 11th, respectively.
Finland’s Benedek Olah is number three, while 2014 runner’s up; Egypt’s El-Sayed Lashin is number fourth on the seeding list.
Other players that made it to the seeding are Slovakia’s Thomas Keinath, Iran’s Afshin Noroozi, Portugal’s Diogo Chen, Egypt’s Khalid Assar, Congo Brazzaville’s Saka Suraju, Mexico’s Salvador Uribe, Egypt’s Shady Magdy, Morocco’s Mounaim Tirselt, Romania’s Alin Spelbus and Ghana’s Felix Lartey.
Defending champion, Portugal’s Jieni Shao led the women’s seeding list followed by two-time winner of the ITTF World Tour, Hungary’s Szandra Pergel.
Congo Brazzaville’s Han Xing is third while Romania’s Irina Ciobanu and Russia’s Olga Kulikova are fourth and fifth respectively.
The two Nigerians that made the eight-man seeding list for women are Edem Offiong and Olufunke Oshonaike who are seeded sixth and seventh respectively while 2010 African champion, Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou is rated eighth in the seeding list.
For the U-21 men, Portugal’s Diogo Chen is number one, while defending champion, Egypt’s Shady Magdy is number two.
The only Nigerian in the four-man seeding list is Amadi Omeh who is listed number four after Romania’s Alin Spelbus who is seeded number three. The only player seeded in the women’s U-21 is Romania’s Irina Ciobanu.
