WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 Day 3 results: Sreeja Akula goes down in the quarters, Manika Batra and Archana Kamath bow out in the pre-quarterfinals

The third day of the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 witnessed a thrilling set of pre-quarterfinal and quarterfinal singles matches and the semifinals and finals of the doubles category.

India’s only remaining paddlers- Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra, and Archana Kamath- were in the women’s singles category. The three paddlers took on Doo Hoi Kem, Xiaoxin Yang, and Jeon Ji-hee, respectively, in their pre-quarterfinal matches of the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 on Saturday, January 27.

Despite some incredibly close encounters, Sreeja Akula was the only Indian who managed to secure a win and enter the quarterfinals. However, she eventually lost the quarterfinal match as India’s campaign at the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 ended.

A closer look at the Day 3 results of the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024

In the round of 16, Sreeja Akula beat much higher-ranked Doo Hoi Kem from Hong Kong in a closely contested match. Akula, ranked 66 in the world, narrowly took the first set 12-10. However, Kem fought back, taking the next game 8-11.

The third set saw 25-year-old Akula find her rhythm once again and play some incredible rallies to take the set 11–8. She carried her momentum in the fourth set and wrapped up the game with an identical score, as the previous one, to secure her place in the quarterfinals. The final score of the match was 12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8 in Akula’s favor.

Meanwhile, India’s most experienced women’s singles paddler, Manika Batra, took on World No. 13 Xiaoxin Yang from Monaco. The 28-year-old Indian, who looked to be in great form, took the opening game 11-9.

The second set also saw some closely fought points being earned, with both players going neck-and-neck. However, Yang secured the second game 13-11. The Moroccan paddler kept her composure and went on to seal the match, winning the third and fourth sets with a 7-11, 9-11 scoreline.

India’s third women’s singles player in the pre-quarterfinals- Archana Kamath also lost her round of 16 encounter, like Batra. Kamath was up against South Korea’s Jeon Ji-hee.

After losing the first 11-13, Kamath fought back and held on to the match by securing the second set 11-9. However, Ji-hee quickly found her form once again and took the next two sets to close the match 11-13, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11.

In the quarterfinals, India’s only representative in the singles event, Sreeja Akula, took on Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching. The Indian, who recently won the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi 2024, started the match on the back foot, going down 5-11 in the first game.

However, the youngster quickly made changes to her strategy and took the next game 11-7. The third set witnessed Akula’s opponent increase the pace once again and capitalize on every error the Indian made. Keeping unforced errors to a minimum, the paddler from Chinese Taipei wrapped up the match with a final score of 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, ending India’s campaign at the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024.

Some of the upcoming Indian paddlers will be seen in action next at WTT Feeder Manchester 2024, starting February 1.