Sreeja’s qualification placement raises eyebrows
Indian table tennis star Sreeja Akula was required to compete in the qualification rounds of a national ranking tournament due to a drop in her domestic ranking. This decision sparked debate among veterans who believe top-ranked international players should be exempt from qualifiers.
Why it matters
It highlights tensions between rigid administrative tournament regulations and the practical status of elite athletes in professional sports.
Minutes before the Under-17 boys’ and girls’ finals at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis tournament at The Sportz Hub on Friday (August 21, 2026), Sreeja Akula was completing her final qualification-round match.
The India women’s captain for the Asian Games, ranked No. 57 in the world, made short work of Shivasri S. to enter the main draw before returning to the gallery to support fellow coach Somnath Ghosh’s protégé Vivaan Dave in the Under-17 boys’ final.
While Sreeja had no qualms about starting from the qualifiers, the sight of India’s highest-ranked women’s paddler doing so did not sit well with some veterans.
“It is ridiculous to see India’s top player being made to play the qualifiers,” said former international Sunil Babras, now a coach with the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board.
Competition manager N. Ganesan, however, said the technical team was “merely following the tournament prospectus”.
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