Paris Olympics 2024: Sreeja Akula Beats Jian Zeng, Joins Manika Batra In Table Tennis Singles Pre-Quarterfinals

Paris: Sreeja Akula rallied to enter the pre-quarterfinals after a not straightforward-fought 4-2 win over Singapore’s Jian Zeng in a women’s singles spherical of 32 in shape as Indian desk tennis persisted to make awareness at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Wednesday. On her twenty sixth birthday, Sreeja won the in shape 11th of September, 12-10, Eleven-4, Eleven-5, 10-12, 12-10 to signal on for compatriot Manika Batra internal the pre-quarterfinals, an unheard of feat internal the awareness of Indian desk tennis.

She misplaced the hole activity but fought back strongly to emerge as the winner internal the competitors, which lasted fifty one minutes. Batra had made the pre-quarters on Monday. Sreeja will take on China’s world #1 Solar Yingsha internal the pre-quarterfinals.

Having misplaced the first hame, Sreeja rode her luck to win the second and repair parity. She became somewhat lucky to take the second activity as she made appreciably a complete bunch blunders and squandered a 3-factor lead to let Zeng claw back into the activity and take it to tie-breakers.

Emboldened by skill of the comeback, a selected Seeja produced a dominant to without considerations pocket the 1/3 activity and nearby herself in a useful position to enhance to the next spherical. The Indian #1 persisted internal the equal vein internal the fourth activity and won it with out a lot obstacle. The participant from Singapore supplied some resistance and bagged the fifth activity.

But, Sreeja held her nerves to seal the deal in her favour internal the sixth activity. Final month, Sreeja implemented a profession-high world ranking of No. 24, displacing Batra as India’s pinnacle women’s singles participant. Sreeja, a two-time u . s . extensive champion, scripted awareness by skill of winning the WTT Contender singles title in Lagos in June. On the 2022 Commonwealth Video games in Birmingham, she won the gold medal internal the blended doubles match with Sharath Kamal.