WTT Champions Incheon 2025: Manika, Sreeja exit in first round to end Indian challenge

Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula were ousted from the WTT Champions Incheon tournament in the first round at the Inspire Arena in South Korea.

World No. 27 Manika lost to China’s Qian Tianyi 1-3 on Tuesday. The Indian did peg a game back to restore parity after conceding the lead in the match, but the Chinese paddler rampaged on to win the Round of 32 match 11-2, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6.

On Thursday, World No. 33 Sreeja narrowly lost to China’s Kuai Man, the fifth seed. The Indian started strong to take the lead with a 11-9 win in the first game. But, her opponent drew level by taking the next game.

Sreeja once again took the lead in the match but Man easily clinched the next two games to win the match 3-2. The scores read 9-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2 in favour of the Chinese player.

Both Indian paddlers exited the WTT Star Contender in Chennai with losses in the Round of 32 last week.