New Delhi: Commonwealth Games doubles champion Sreeja Akula has climbed to the summit, surpassing Manika Batra to claim the title of the top-ranked Indian woman table tennis player. The latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings chart reveals Sreeja’s ascent to a career-high rank of 38.
While Sreeja secured her position at the helm, Manika Batra, who had long held the title of India’s top TT player, experienced a slight dip, dropping two spots to 39. Yashaswini Ghorpade and Archana Kamath maintained their positions at 99 and 100, respectively, in the rankings.
In the men’s category, Achanta Sharath Kamal continues to lead the charge at No. 37, maintaining his status as the highest-ranked male player from India. Meanwhile, G. Sathiyan and Manav Thakar have swapped places, with Sathiyan now ranked 60th and Thakar at 61st.
Sreeja Akula, aged 25, has enjoyed a stellar year, marked by notable achievements such as reaching the quarterfinals of the WTT Star Contender in Goa. She also clinched titles at the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi and WTT Feeder Beirut tournaments in January and March, respectively, adding to her growing list of accolades.
On the team front, India has already secured qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris. The Table Tennis Federation of India is set to finalize two entries per gender, considering the current world rankings, by May 16.