Sreeja Akula, one of India’s leading table tennis players, embarked on her journey at the ITTF World Cup 2024 in Macao, China, with a promising start. Ranked 39th globally, Akula swiftly dispatched Poland’s Natalia Bajor, who is positioned 13 places lower in the rankings, with a resounding 4-0 victory. However, her journey in the tournament was cut short in the group stage.
The ITTF World Cup follows a format where both men’s and women’s singles categories have 16 groups each. Matches in the group stage consist of four games, with final rankings based on the ratio of games won to games lost. Only the group winners progress to the knockout round.
Sreeja Akula faces a tough opponent in Group 2
In her group, Akula faced a formidable opponent, the reigning Olympic champion and World No. 4 Chen Meng of China. Despite her best efforts, Akula went down 3-1 (11-4, 11-4, 13-15, 11-2) against Chen. This result meant that Akula finished second in her group and failed to progress to the knockout stage.
With one win & a loss, Sreeja finished 2nd in her Group at World Cup.
Sreeja eliminated as only Group leaders proceed to the next stage. https://t.co/B4TOrjGdqd pic.twitter.com/mFxults0qF— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) April 17, 2024
The elimination of Akula in the group stage marks a disappointing end to her campaign in the ITTF World Cup. However, it’s important to note that she was up against some of the world’s best players. Her performance against Natalia Bajor demonstrates her potential and the level of skill she brings to the table.
Despite the setback, the ITTF World Cup experience is likely to provide Akula with valuable insights and learnings. Facing top-tier players on such a prestigious platform allows athletes like Akula to understand their areas of improvement and work on their techniques.
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