Sreeja Akula becomes first Indian to win WTT Contender singles title

Along with the singles title, Sreeja also clinched the doubles crown with Archana Kamath. Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar bagged the men’s doubles title.

Published : Jun 23, 2024 19:09 IST , Chennai - 1 MIN READ

Indian paddler Sreeja Akula in action.
Indian paddler Sreeja Akula in action. | Photo Credit: PTI
infoIcon

Indian paddler Sreeja Akula in action. | Photo Credit: PTI

Sreeja Akula became the first Indian paddler to win a WTT Contender singles title as she beat World No. 504 Ding Yijie of China 4-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6) in the final in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday.

The India No 2 paddler, along with Archana Kamath, defeated compatriots Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade 3-0 (11-9. 11-6, 12-10) to clinch the women’s doubles crown as well.

READ | Paris 2024: Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra to spearhead India in Olympic team debut

Sreeja and Archana had won 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 12-10) against Asian Games bronze medallists Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee in the semifinals. On the other hand, Diya and Yashaswini had claimed a 3-1 (14-12, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7) win over China’s Sun Sinan and Ding in their final-four clash.

Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar became the first Indian male duo to triumph at this level as they defeated local favourites Azeez Solanke and Olajide Omotayo 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8) in the men’s doubles final.

Sreeja, Archana, Harmeet and Manav are part of the Indian table tennis squad for Paris Olympics, which will be led by Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment