Olympian Sreeja Akula ruled out of Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 with stress fracture

Akula had impressed at the 2024 Olympic Games, reaching the pre-quarterfinal of women’s singles and the quarterfinals of the women’s team in Paris.

Akula became the first Indian to win a singles title at the WTT Contender level by finishing at the top at the WTT Contender Lagos. | Photo Credit: AP

Indian Table Tennis player Sreeja Akula was ruled out of the upcoming season of the Ultimate Table Tennis with an injury, the tournament announced on Monday.

“I’m sorry to share that I have been diagnosed with a stress fracture and on my doctor’s advice, I’ll need to rest for six weeks, which unfortunately means I won’t be able to participate in UTT 2024,” Akula said in statement.

Akula became the first Indian to win a singles title at the WTT Contender level by finishing at the top at the WTT Contender Lagos and had impressed at the 2024 Olympic Games, reaching the pre-quarterfinal of women’s singles and the quarterfinals of the women’s team in Paris.

She is also a gold medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and a double gold medallist at the 2019 South Asian Games.

Akula, who was drafted for the Jaipur Patriots, would be replaced by the U19 Youth National Champion and UTT debutant Nithyashree Mani.