Olympian Sreeja Akula bows out of Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 due to stress fracture

Paris Olympics 2024 participant, World No. 22 table tennis player, Sreeja Akula has been ruled out of the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 with a stress fracture, UTT announced on Monday. The tournament will be held in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

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“I’m sorry to share that I have been diagnosed with a stress fracture and on my doctor’s advice, I’ll need to rest for six weeks, which unfortunately means I won’t be able to participate in UTT 2024,” Akula said in a statement.

Reached pre-quarterfinals in Paris Olympics

Recently, Sreeja Akula participated in the Paris Olympics where she reached the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles event, becoming only the second Indian after Manika Batra.

The 26-year-old defeated Christina Kallberg 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 4-0 in the first round. In the third round, Sreeja delivered another stellar performance when she beat Zeng Jian of Singapore 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 4-2. She, however, went down fighting against World No. 1 Sun Yingsha in the quarterfinals 10-12, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11, 0-4.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024 Medal tally update: Top nations and India's position

First Indian to win WTT Contender

Apart from that, Sreeja Akula also became the first Indian to win a singles title at the WTT Contender level by finishing at the top at the WTT Contender Lagos. She is also a gold medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and a double gold medallist at the 2019 South Asian Games.

Sreeja was drafted to the Jaipur Patriots for UTT 2024 but in a statement released on Monday, the 26-year-old informed that she will need a resting period of six weeks. Sreeja would be replaced by the U19 Youth National Champion and UTT debutant Nithyashree Mani.