Two-time National champion Sreeja Akula clinched the women's singles title at the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi, her maiden international trophy, to start the new season on a promising note. The Indian beat World No. 46 Lily Zhang of the USA 3-0 (11-6, 18-16, 11-5) in the final on Thursday night. The final was a one-sided affair. After winning the extended second game on the sixth game point against Zhang, Sreeja finished things up quite easily to take the top spot on the podium. 'What A Rollercoaster' Sumit Nagal Pens Down Emotional Message After Australian Open 2024 Exit, Thanks Sponsors and Coaches For Support (See Post).

"I am immensely pleased, and my efforts got me where I wanted to be. It's my maiden international title, and I have earned it after two close calls in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament. Both (Amy and Lily) were higher-ranked players and I played well against them," she said after the final.

En route to the final, the 25-year-old Hyderabadi had shocked top-seed Amy Wang of USA 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 6-11, 11-9) in an evenly-contested quarterfinal. Ranked No. 94 in the world, Sreeja led 2-1 before allowing Amy to crawl back and level the score. Nevertheless, the Indian bagged the final points in the decider. Sumit Nagal Takes Home Around INR 1.33 Crore After His Historic Australian Open 2024 Campaign Finishes in Second Round Defeat.

In the semifinals, the Indian was up against Jiangshan Gao of the USA, leading 2-1 before the latter produced a fine recovery and levelled the score in the fourth extended game at 12-10. However, Sreeja finished the tight fifth game to win 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 and seal her place in the final.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)