Sreeja Akula is First Indian to win World Table Tennis (WTT) Women’s Singles Event
The youngster has scripted history with her win in the global event.
June 23rd, 2024: In a rare accomplishment, an Indian has ensnared the top accolade at global sports event. For a country that’s not very sporting, Sreeja Akula shows that she can rise above that dubious reputation by becoming the first Indian to win the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Women Singles Event. Akula demonstrated exceptional skill and grit to defeat a formidable opponent in China’s Ding Yijie by 4 sets to 1. In so doing, Akula has rallied her way into the history books.
Hailing from Hyderabad, Telengana (then Andhra Pradesh), this diminutive 25-year-old, who is the recipient of India’s Arjuna Award and gold-medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (with Sharath Kamal), has this bright new feather to add to her cap. India’s Number 1 ranked paddler in the Women’s Singles category had to overcome some jitters in the final, losing the first set 10-12. But she dominated the rest of the match with a 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 score line.
Ranked 38 in the world, the sprightly and determined Akula overcame her fellow finalist who bears a global ranking of 504. The event which unfolded between June 19th and June 23rd, 2024 at Lagos, Nigeria, was also witness to Akula grabbing the tournament's Doubles Title with her partner Archana Kamatha. Indeed, the duo made short work of their clash with compatriots Diya Chitale and Yashwasini Ghorpade in a 3-0 victory (11-9, 11-6, 12-10).
And Akula doesn’t just excel at Table Tennis. She passed her 12th Grade exams with 98.7 per cent, before going on to secure a college degree in Commerce. Competitiveness and Achievement seem to be this young lady’s middle names. And this is only the start of what is sure to be an illustrious career.
