Sreeja Akula, riding high on back-to-back singles wins, pulled off her biggest triumph yet in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 on Thursday. The Indian star stunned World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs — the league’s top-ranked player — as Jaipur Patriots edged out U Mumba 8-7 in a closely fought contest at the EKA Arena, watched by just around 100 spectators. Later, hosts Ahmedabad SG Pipers secured their first win of the season by narrowly defeating former champions Chennai Lions with the same scoreline.
The Patriots were already buzzing after skipper Kanak Jha handed Frenchman Lilian Bardet his first loss of the season. That momentum carried into the next clash, where Sreeja faced Romania’s Szocs — the same opponent who had blanked her 4-0 at the ITTF World Cup in April.
But this time, the match unfolded differently. Sreeja stayed composed and kept pace with Szocs throughout, eventually sealing the game with a stunning forehand down the line at game point. As the final point landed, she broke into an uncontrollable smile.
Szocs, also the U Mumba captain, looked rattled early on, missing the ball entirely on the second point after misreading the depth of Sreeja’s return. She glanced up at her mother in the stands for reassurance before turning to her signature tomahawk serve, which helped her briefly take a 2-1 lead — but it wasn’t enough to hold back a determined Sreeja.
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