Sreerja Akula began her Paris Olympics campaign with a win in the women’s singles table tennis event. She secured an easy victory against Sweden’s Christina Kallberg in the round of 64, defeating her 4-0 (11-4 11-7 11-9 11-8). She advances to the round of 32 from here on.
Sreeja Akula looked very composed from the first game and took advantage of her opponent’s mistakes early on. She won the first game easily by 11-4, displaying a calm demeanour throughout.
The second game was tougher for both players. Christina Kallberg performed brilliantly at the start of the second game. However, Sreeja remained unflustered and managed her defence well, shifting from a 2-2 tie to a dominant 8-4 lead. Despite some mistakes that allowed the score to reach 9-9, Sreeja held her nerve and won the second game 11-9.
More aggression in the third game
Kallberg showed more aggression in the third game, which initially benefited her. However, Sreeja capitalised on Kallberg’s mistakes and won the game comfortably, 11-7, taking a 3-0 lead in the match.
After being on the defensive and getting the job done, Sreeja took a timeout and won the fourth game 11-8, clinching victory in the round of 64.
What worked for Sreeja was her constant communication with her coach. She engaged in ongoing dialogue until the last game point, which helped her focus on exploiting the Swedish player’s mistakes.
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