Sreeja Akula reaches career-best ranking at World no. 21

Sreeja Akula has reached a historic milestone by achieving a career-best world ranking of No. 21 in women's singles table tennis, marking the highest-ever ranking for an Indian player in the sport.

Her recent performances at the Paris 2024 Olympics played a pivotal role in this achievement, showcasing her growing prominence on the global stage.

At Paris 2024, Akula showcased her talent by defeating Sweden’s Christina Kallberg, then ranked world No. 58, in the round of 64.

She continued her winning streak by overcoming Singapore's Zeng Jian, ranked 52nd, in the round of 32. These victories propelled her into the round of 16, a historic feat that she shares with fellow Indian player Manika Batra.

Akula and Batra became the first Indian table tennis players to reach the round of 16 in individual events at the Olympics.

However, Akula's remarkable run came to an end in the round of 16, where she faced the formidable world No. 1, Yingsha Sun of the People's Republic of China.

Despite the loss, Akula’s performance in Paris was widely praised and contributed significantly to her rise in the world rankings.

Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra have now become the only Indian table tennis players to break into the top 25 in the women’s singles rankings.

Earlier, Akula was drafted to play for the Jaipur Patriots in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 season.

Unfortunately, she suffered a stress fracture, which forced her to withdraw from the competition.

The Jaipur Patriots have replaced her with Nithyashree Mani, the U19 Youth National Champion and a UTT debutant, in their squad.

Last week, she became the highest-ranked Indian table tennis player at world No. 22 following her impressive campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Her subsequent rise to No. 21 further cements her status as a leading figure in Indian table tennis.