Telangana paddler Sreeja Akula has her eyes set on Paris Olympics after beating World No 2

Telangana By Ajay Tomar Feb 18, 2024 Read the article

On Friday, 16 February, two Indian paddlers turned the tables on two top-seeded Chinese players to win at the 2023 IITF World Team Table Tennis Championship being held in Busan.

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While 155-seeded Ayhika Mukherjee of West Bengal defeated World No 1 Sun Yingsha 3-1, Sreeja Akula of Telangana, ranked 49, pulled out a sterling win.

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“It was a great experience to play against the best players in the world. I am really happy to beat the World No 2,” Akula shared.

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The Indian women’s team, which has been seeded 17, has been grouped with China (number one), Hungary (16), Uzbekistan (36) and Spain (30).

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Sreeja thanked her childhood coach Somnath Ghosh for helping her “plan well” in the months leading to the championships.

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For him, 2022 was a turning point in Akula’s career when she made it to the big leagues by winning the Senior National and Interstate Table Tennis Championships.

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“To pursue qualifying for the Olympics, she has to improve the rankings. Last month Sreeja started participating in several international tournaments,” shares Akula’s father, Praveen.

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Telangana State Table Tennis Association (TSTTA) Secretary Nagendra Reddy expressed confidence over Sreeja qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

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