In a significant shift in the Indian table tennis landscape, Sreeja Akula has dethroned Manika Batra as the country’s top-ranked women’s player in the latest ITTF World Rankings released on Tuesday. Akula’s meteoric rise to 38th place, a career-high for her, is a testament to her exceptional performances this season. The 25-year-old claimed victories in both the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi and WTT Feeder Beirut tournaments, in addition to reaching the quarterfinals of the WTT Star Contender Series in Goa. Akula’s outstanding form culminated in a mixed doubles gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, partnering with veteran Sharath Kamal.
Manika Batra, who had previously held the top spot, has slipped a couple of places to 39th in the rankings. However, other Indian players maintained their positions, with Yashaswini Ghorpade and Archana Kamath remaining at 99th and 100th respectively. Among the men, Sharath Kamal continues to reign supreme as India’s top-ranked player, maintaining his 37th position in the rankings. G Sathiyan and Manav Thakar have switched places, with Sathiyan now ranked 60th and Thakar occupying the 61st spot. Notably, Harmeet Desai, who held the top rank a few months ago, has experienced a decline, dropping to 64th position.
India has already secured qualification for the team events at the Paris Olympics. The selection of two singles entries for both men and women will be finalized by the Table Tennis Federation of India by May 16th, taking into consideration the world rankings at that time.
