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Sreeja Akula’s WTT Feeder Corpus Christi title was very special not just because it was her first international title in the individual category. It was because she won it in front of her sister Ravali Akula who inspired her to take up the racket sport at the age of eight.
Ravali used to bunk classes and participate in table tennis tournaments during her school and college days. Her medals enticed Sreeja to give it a try at the table and thereafter destiny wasn’t far away for the Hyderabad youngster.
Although Ravali has watched her younger sister play for more than a decade now, there was somebody else cheering Sreeja amidst the boisterous crowd vouching for local player Lily Zhang in the final. It was her brother-in-law, who works in a Canadian Bank in Carolina, who saw her play for the first time.
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After rallying past World No.46 Lily Zhang in three straight sets, Sreeja Akula mentioned that her brother-in-law’s presence brought fortunes to her.
"It was very special for me (to have family support). My brother-in-law saw my match live for the first time and he was super excited. I think he was a lucky charm for me. They were there throughout and it was a memorable tournament for me. They are in Carolina and both of them came to stay with me in Corpus Christi," Sreeja told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview on the day she returned to India.
What was new in Sreeja Akula's game plan this time?
Four of her five wins in the tournament came against USA paddlers. It was the first time Sreeja played against Lily in the final even though the latter participated in India’s Ultimate Table Tennis season last year. Sreeja’s Dabang Delhi TTC teammate Ayhika Mukherjee faced the American in their tie against U Mumba.
Playing with the long pimpled rubbers (defensive ones on the backhand) and soft rubbers on the forehands, Sreeja Akula has nonetheless seized control of speed to deceive her opponent as they get into long rallies. She admitted that the semi-final against Jiangshan Guo and the quarter-final against Amy Wang tested her patience before she made come-from-behind wins in the decider of both riveting clashes.
“Amy Wang was the toughest. I knew she was really good. I watch so many of her videos on YouTube and I was well prepared for her. In the decider, I was 7-9 down but I stayed patient and calm to my plan. But the semifinal was not expected because I couldn’t see many of her matches on YouTube. She never played any WTT events but I just saw her playing pre-quarters and quarterfinals,” the 25-year-old said.
"I was quite prepared because she had a similar rubber on the backhand side," she continued. "I am used to playing with such kinds of players in India. I think after I was leading 2-1, she became even more consistent and started even becoming aggressive at that point.
"I was 3-7 down in the decider even in semi-finals. I think when I am down I really play well. I stay really calm and composed and that helps me a lot,” she further explained on her approach in crunch moments."
Sreeja Akula missed hat-trick of titles in nationals
The Telangana player, who is a part of the Dream Gold Programme by Dream Sports Foundation, entered the WTT Feeder event on the back of an upset at the nationals. While chasing her third senior national title in a row, Sreeja lost to eventual champion Poymantee Basiya in the semi-final 4-1. But she left that loss as another defeat and moved on to improve her international rankings.
“I took it in a positive way. I was not disheartened after the tournament because I think I played my best. Every match in the tournament was very tough. Juniors are coming up and they are doing very well to give tough competition to the seniors. I took it as a great learning. I have got many learnings from that tournament,” said Sreeja.
“End of the tournament, I finished as No.1 for the fourth consecutive year. I was happy with what I achieved. In the domestic circuit, I won two tournaments. From the next day I started to focus on the international circuit and started my training accordingly,” she added.
The WTT Feeder crown propelled her 28 spots up to achieve the World No.66 ranking in the women’s singles category under WTT rankings. She will be one of the frontrunners to vie for an Olympic quota in India with the cut-off date being June 18, 2024.
More upsets on Sreeja Akula's cards, focus shifts to Goa
Sreeja Akula has earned a direct entry into the women’s singles main draw of WTT Star Contender Goa 2024. She started her campaign well with a win in mixed doubles in the first qualifying round. Joining Snehit Suravajjula in a new partnership, the Indian duo defeated Singapore’s Wong Xin Ru and Koen Pang 3-1 to set up an all-Indian clash in the second round against Manush Shah and Diya Chitale.
“Going into the tournament I just want to give my best. It’s going to be a tough tournament. It will be tougher than Corpus Christi. I am going to be in the main draw and my match starts on 25th. I just want to play my best and do more number of upsets in the tournament. That would be my aim,” Sreeja said ahead of the tournament.
Sreeja Akula won gold in the mixed doubles along with Achanta Sharath Kamal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She was also the recipient of the Arjuna Award in the same year.
