WTT Contender Goa: Sreeja Akula loses quarterfinals, Manika loses

Indian table tennis player Sreeja Akula showcased her prowess at the WTT Contender Goa, securing impressive victories over Doo Hoi Kem to qualify for the quarterfinals while Manika Batra and Archana Kamath suffered defeats in their respective last-8 matches at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa on Saturday.

On Saturday, the rising star faced the formidable challenge of taking on world-ranked 36 Doo Hoi Kem from Hong Kong. In a thrilling match, Sreeja emerged victorious with a 3-1 scoreline (12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8).

The momentum for Sreeja's exceptional run at the WTT Contender Goa had already been set the day before when she clashed with world-ranked 30 Hana Goda of Egypt in the Round of 32. In a dominant performance, Sreeja secured a convincing 3-0 victory (11-8, 11-6, 14-12), showcasing her strategic play and composure during crucial moments.

"I am really happy to win this match. In 2021, I had lost to the same opponent, so it feels really great to win a match against her in this tournament. I was able to execute my plans perfectly and kept myself motivated even after losing the second game to win the contest. She was really aggressive and I focused on putting the ball on the table and choosing the right ball to attack which worked in my favour. I will be well prepared for the upcoming match as well," commented Akula after the victory.

Sreeja's back-to-back victories against top-calibre players underlined her rising status in the world of table tennis. She lost to world-ranked 18 Cheng I-Ching in the quarterfinals today at 6:50 PM Indian Standard Time.

On the other hand, India's top-ranked singles paddler Batra (WR 38) went down 1-3 (11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 9-11) against the World No. 13 Xiaoxin Yang of Monaco despite winning the first game of the contest. In the other women's singles pre-quarterfinal, youngster from Bengaluru Kamath lost to South Korea's Jeon Jihee by 1-3 (11-13, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11).

World No. 8 Shin Yubin of South Korea continued her positive form to defeat Sweden's Christina Kallberg 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6), whereas Chinese Taipei's Cheng I-ching (WR 18) beat Yang Ha Eun of South Korea by 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9).

In the last-16 stage of the men's singles category, World No. 8 Felix Lebrun of France extended his sparkling form to register a comfortable 3-0 (11-3, 12-10, 11-9) win against Sweden's Ruls Moregard. However, his brother Alexis Lebrun faced a 1-3 (8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 8-11) defeat against World No. 14 Quadri Aruna of Nigeria.

Six-time Olympic medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany looked in fine form to beat England's Liam Pitchford 3-1 (11-5, 8-11, 17-15, 11-8) as he made his way into the quarter-finals of WTT Star Contender Goa 2024.

The semi-finals and finals will be played on Sunday as the fans can enjoy the world-class action by booking their tickets on BookMyShow. The thrilling action will be available live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & Sony Sports Ten 2 HD channels on TV and livestream on Sony Liv app.