Paris (France): Sreeja Akula started the match on high as she dominated the fixture in the Game 1 and won it by 11-4. The Indian paddler was sharp with her forehands and she dominated Christina Kallberg of Sweden. The second game went close as the Swedish paddler improved her strokeplay. The game went down the wire but the Indian outplayed her opponent yet again by 11-9.
The Game 3 was a lop-sided contest with the 20-year-old winning it by 11-7 and then delivered the knockout punch with a scoreline 11-8 in 30 minutes. A win took her to the round of 16 in the Paris Games.
The Indian beat World No. 58 with ease as she deceived her opponent with her shots which included massive backspin. Sreeja won points on her serves mostly but the Swedish opponent failed to capitalise on her serves.
The 25-year-old Sreeja, a two-time national champion, became the first Indian paddler to win a WTT Contender singles title in June. She has also won the WTT Contender mixed double title with veteran Archana Kamath, who is set to make his fifth Olympic appearance.
Sreeja’s rise off the blocks in the recent times has been remarkable. She not only surpassed her compatriot Manika in the rankings but has produced some sensational performances this year. The world no. 24 has a win percentage of 66 this year and also won WTT Feeder Bairut II, WTT Feeder Corpus Christi, and WTT Contender Lagos. The paddler has produced some impressive performances this year and her form has been sensational.
