Sreeja Akula To Round Of 16 Table Tennis Olympics: Indian table tennis player Sreeja Akula became only the second TT player after Manika Batra to make it to the round of 16 at the Olympics after she defeated Indonesia’s Zeng Jian in the round of 32 contest in the women’s singles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yesterday, Manika defeated Prithika Pavade of France to make it to the round of 16 in the same event. And after Sreeja’s win today, there are two Indians in the final 16 in women’s singles table tennis, increasing the chances of a medal.
Sreeja started her journey at the 2024 Olympics in the round of 64, where she defeated Christina Kallberg of Sweden in straight sets to make her way into the round of 32.
Sreeja Akula To Round Of 16 Table Tennis Olympics
The 16th-seed Indian paddler took on 31st-seed Indonesian Zeng in the round of 32. The first set was a competitive opening to the match. While the two players were close in points throughout the game, it was the Indonesian that took the set 9-11 at the end. A match of TT is a best-of-seven sets affair.
The second set was highly competitive as well, with both paddlers going neck to neck. With a draw at 10-all, the Indian took two points in a row to win the set 12-10.
In the third set, Sreeja Akula showed her insane ability, thrashing Jian 11-4 and taking a 2-1 lead in sets. That lead became 3-1 when the 24-year-old Indian dominated yet another set, winning set four 11-5.
On the verge of losing the match, Zeng Jian made a comeback, making the game competitive again. The two players went back and forth in set five as the score was tied at 10-10, but it was Zeng who scored two points in a row and won the set 10-12 and brought the match to 3-2.
The sixth set was similarly competitive, with the two battling out to take the game home. The score, yet again, was tied at 10-10. And this time, it was Sreeja who took two points in a row, winning the set 12-10 and winning the match in six sets.
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As stated earlier, not only did this make Sreeja Akula the second Indian paddler to reach the round of 16 in the women’s singles table tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she also became only the second Indian TT player to reach the round of 16 at the Olympics outright.
Akula’s win today added to what was a good day for India at the Paris Games, as PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen won their games in women’s and men’s singles badminton, respectively, to make it to the round of 16. Whereas Lovlina Borgohain won her women’s 75 kg bout to qualify for the quarterfinals.
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