Paris Olympics: Sreeja Akula breezes past Swedish paddler Kallberg to move into next round
Jul 28, 2024
Paris [France], July 28 : Indian table tennis sensation Sreeja Akula proceeded into the next round following her resounding win over Sweden's Christina Kallberg in the Round of 64 of the women's singles event on Sunday in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
The Indian paddler breezed past Kallberg and cruised to an 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, and 11-8 win to book her spot in the Round of 32.
In the best-of-seven tie, India's no. 1 ranked table tennis star kicked off her debut in the Olympics with a bang and raced to a 9-2 lead in the opening game against the Swedish paddler. Kallberg bounced back and took a point, but Sreeja continued to exercise her prowess and took the first game 11-4.
The fast-paced nature of the game continued, and Sreeja continued to dominate the flow of the game with precise backhand and forehand shots. Within a blink of an eye, Sreeja went 2-0 up in the match following an 11-9 win in the second game.
In the third game, the same trend continued. Sreeja accumulated points quickly, while Kallberg picked up points at irregular intervals. The Swedish paddler missed out on opportunities to stay in the game. Kallberg misplaced a couple of her forehand shots and eventually lost the third game 11-7.
In the final game, Sreeja picked up points effortlessly to take the game towards the predicted outcome. Kallberg's shoulders dropped and her body language indicated a drop in her fighting spirit.
She lost five points due to errors towards the end but managed to get herself composed. When Sreeja was just a point away from sealing her place in the round of 34, the chants of 'India' erupted from the crowd, motivating Sreeja to put the final nail in the coffin. She whitewashed the Swedish paddler by sealing the fourth game with a scoreline of 11-8.
