Sreeja Akula Makes History with WTT Contender Singles Title

Paris Olympics-bound Sreeja Akula became the first Indian paddler to win a WTT Contender Singles title, defeating China's Ding Yijie 4-1. She also secured another gold in women's doubles alongside Archana Kamath. India concluded the event with three golds and one silver in total.

Paris Olympics-bound Sreeja Akula on Sunday made history by becoming the first Indian paddler to clinch a WTT Contender Singles title, overcoming China's Ding Yijie 4-1 in a tightly contested final.

Sreeja Akula's exceptional performance didn't end there. Alongside Archana Kamath, she garnered another gold medal in the women's doubles event, vanquishing compatriots Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade 3-0 with scores of 11-9, 11-6, and 12-10.

India's medal tally was further bolstered in the men's doubles category as the duo of Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar dominantly defeated Azeez Solanke and Olajide Omotayo 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8). Akula's win came after a rocky start in the women's singles final, where she lost the first game 10-12 but made a strong comeback to win the following four games 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, and 11-6, securing the gold.