The singles winners at the just concluded WTT Contender Lagos, Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov and India’s Sreeja Akula, have risen in the latest ITTF rankings.
Ovtcharov, who was ranked 19th before the tournament, rose to 14th in the Men’s ranking, while Akula displaced Manika Batra as the highest-ranked female Indian player in the world as she climbed by 19 steps to be rated 24th in the world.
Ovtcharov, a finalist at the 2023 edition of the WTT Contender Lagos, at the weekend, won the title at the expense of his compatriot, Ricardo Walther. His 4-1 win is his first WTT title since 2021.
Like the German, Akula prevailed against Ding Yijie of China 4-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6) to become the first Indian to win the WTT Series singles crown.
The 25-year-old became the most successful player at the WTT Contender Lagos as she partnered with Archana Girish Kamath to register a 3-0 victory in the women’s doubles final, defeating compatriots Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Parag Chitale to increase her title to two in one tournament.
Speaking after her win in Lagos, Akula said: “I’m very happy to win my first WTT Contender title. The first one is always special, and I’m happy to win two titles here in Lagos. I think the Indians have been doing well for the last few years, and our table tennis has been growing fast.
“This has been an amazing tournament for all in the Indian contingent, and we are all looking forward to the upcoming Paris Olympics, where we hope to give our best for our country.”
She admitted that there were butterflies in her stomach before the final game, adding, however, “I was focused on playing my best and not seeing whom I was playing against. I just must play my own game, and I followed what I was taught and I’m thankful to my coach and chief coach, who helped me strategise.”
