ITTF World Cup 2024: Sreeja Akula wins first group-stage match

Sreeja Akula began her campaign at the ITTF World Cup in Macao, China with a comfortable win in her first group-stage match on Tuesday.

World No. 39 Sreeja won 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5) in half an hour against Poland’s Natalia Bajor, a player ranked 13 places below her. World No. 4 Chen Meng of China, the reigning Olympic champion, is the other player in the group.

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Later in the day, Manika Batra faces Romania’s Adina Diaconu in her group-stage opener.

Both men’s and women’s singles categories have 16 groups each. Only the group winners will progress to the knockout rounds.