Nigeria, May 26 -- Nigerian table tennis icon Quadri Aruna has endured his biggest ranking setback in more than a decade after slipping 20 places to 76th in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings released on Monday.

The dramatic drop also saw the Nigerian star fall to fourth in Africa, the first time since 2014 that Aruna has failed to occupy one of the continent's top two positions.

For well over a decade, Aruna has stood as the face of African table tennis alongside longtime Egyptian rival Omar Assar, with the pair dominating continental competitions and carrying Africa's hopes on the global stage.

However, the newest rankings underline a major shift in African men's table tennis, with younger challeng...