Sreeja Akula sidelined for six weeks due to injury

NEW DELHI: India's top-ranked table tennis player Sreeja Akula has been sidelined for six weeks due to a stress fracture. The injury means she will miss the upcoming Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) tournament, set to begin on August 22.

"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, currently ranked world No. 21, said in a statement as quoted by Olympics.com.

Akula was drafted to play for the Jaipur Patriots in UTT 2024. She will now be replaced by the U19 Youth National Champion and UTT debutant Nithyashree Mani in the squad.

Last week, Sreeja Akula achieved the highest ranking for an Indian table tennis player at world No. 22 in the women's singles following an impressive campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At Paris 2024, Akula beat Sweden's then world No. 58 Christina Kallberg in the round of 64 before getting the better of 52nd-ranked Zeng Jian of Singapore in the round of 32.

Akula and Manika Batra became the first table tennis players from the country to reach the round of 16 at the Olympics in individual events. However, Akula lost to world No. 1 Yingsha Sun of the People's Republic of China in the round of 16.

Sreeja and Manika are the only Indian table tennis players to make it to the top 25 in women's singles rankings, as per the Olympics.com.