Sreeja Akula becomes India's first-ever paddler to win a singles title at a WTT Contender event
Indian star paddler Sreeja Akula created history on Sunday, June 23, as she went on to clinch women’s singles and doubles titles at the WTT Contender Lagos 2023 at Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall in Lagos, Nigeria.
Akula, who is also part of the Indian table tennis team for the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024, stunned the 16-year-old Chinese paddler Ding Yijie by 4-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6) in the final.
With this victory, Sreeja Akula became the first-ever Indian paddler to lift a singles title at the WTT Contender level.
Furthermore, she also paired up with Archana Girish to lift the doubles title as well, defeating fellow compatriots Yashaswini Ghorpade - Diya Parag by 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 12-10).
Earlier, Akula defeated the Tokyo Olympian Indian paddler Sutirtha Mukherjee in the semi-finals by 3-2 (11-8, 13-15, 11-9, 9-11,12-10).
Interestingly, Mukherjee defeated defending champion and World No. 8 Shin Yubin of the Republic of Korea 3-2 (11-9, 3-11, 0-11, 11-9, 11-6) in the quarter-finals earlier to move to the semis.
On the other hand, Yijie defeated Ayhika Mukherjee 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-2, 11-13, 11-4) in the other semi-final to advance to the final.
In the men’s doubles final, the Indian pair of Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar stunned the Nigerian duo of Olajide Omotayo and Azeez Solanke by 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8). They became the first Indian men’s pair to secure a title at a WTT Contender level.
It’s important to note that all four title-winning Indian paddlers namely Sreeja Akula, Archana Kamath, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar are part of the Indian team for the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024.
WTT Contender Lagos 2024: Final Results (Indians only)
Women's Singles:
Sreeja Akula beat Ding Yijie by 4-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6)
Men's Doubles:
Manav Thakkar - Harmeet Desai beat Azeez Solanke - Olajide - Omotayo by 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8)
Women's Doubles:
Archana Girish - Sreeja Akula beat Yashaswini Ghorpade - Diya Parag by 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 12-10)