Who is Sreeja Akula’s parents? Know everything about his mother and father

April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 Pushkar Pandey

Every up-and-coming athlete dreams of a stellar season to put on a standout performance and achieve new heights of success. Sreeja Akula, a gifted table tennis player, has already made her mark early this year. At 25, she’s set on leveraging her impressive streak to elevate her gameplay further. Her ascent began in January, when Sreeja, already a two-time senior national champion from Hyderabad, captured her first international win at the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi tournament in Texas. There, she triumphed over the US’s World No. 46, Lily Zhang, in a series of straight games.

However, the real highlight of her career so far was her upset victory over China’s World No. 2 Wang Yidi, also in straight games, during the group phase of the World Table Tennis Team Championship in Busan, South Korea. Securing this win was a dream Sreeja harbored since her early days in table tennis. In an interview, an ecstatic Sreeja Akula reflected on her victory against a player from China, a nation renowned for dominating table tennis. She hadn’t just played her dream opponent, Wang; she decisively defeated her, a win that strengthened her belief in competing and winning at the world’s top levels.

With a boost in confidence from her victory against Wang, Sreeja snagged her second international title by overcoming Sarah De Nutte from Luxembourg in the WTT Feeder Beirut II finals in Lebanon. This victory boosted her world ranking significantly, placing her just behind the renowned Indian player Manika Batra at a career-high position of 40. Initially, Sreeja enrolled in the Ghosh Academy without any expectations but soon found success. Over time, her training led her to win state age group events.

However, even as she started to excel, her father, Praveen, faced the familiar challenge of financing a career in sports versus education. Amidst financial constraints and discussions of quitting, Sreeja’s sister emerged as a source of encouragement, motivating her to stay the course in table tennis. From a nonchalant beginning to becoming the force behind a remarkable alliance with the sport, Sreeja triumphed over not just her opponents, but also the financial challenges that threatened to derail her journey. These victories are not just milestones, but echoes of her passion, grit, and the unyielding support of her loved ones.

Name	Sreeja Akula
DOB	31 July 1998
Category	Table Tennis
Domestic Club	YMCA
Country	India (2019-present)
Father	Praveen Kumar
Mother	Sai Sudha
Siblings	Ravali Akula (Sister)

Achievements

Sreeja Akula, a two-time national champion from India, launched the New Year triumphantly by securing her inaugural international victory at the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi 2024, defeating America’s world No. 46, Lily Zhang, with scores of 11-6, 18-16, 11-5 in the women’s singles final on Friday. En route to her victory, the Hyderabad-based athlete overcame Stephanie Loeuillette with a score of 3-1 and stunned the top-seeded Amy Wang 3-2 in a tense quarterfinals match, ending with scores of 11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 6-11, 11-9.

Ranked 94th globally, 25-year-old Akula took an early lead in the final 2-1 but faced a resilient Zhang who fought back to tie the match. In a strategic play, Akula clinched the decisive points for the win. During the semifinals, she encountered US player Jiangshan Gao and took a 2-1 lead, only to see it threatened as Gao rallied to even the score in an intense fourth game. Ultimately, Akula prevailed in the tight fifth game with scores of 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, securing her spot in the championship match.

Debut

At the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in April 2022, she emerged victorious in both the women’s singles and doubles events. In the previous tournament, she was the second-place finisher in the national women’s singles, defeated by Manika Batra. She represented India during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and achieved a gold medal in the mixed doubles alongside Sharath Kamal. Her accomplishments also include clinching gold in both the Women’s Doubles and the Women’s Team categories at the 2019 South Asian Games. In January 2024, she triumphed at the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi in Texas, marking her first international tournament win.

Who are her parents?

Sreeja Akula was born on 31 July 1998, in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, to parents Praveen Kumar and Sai Sudha.

Know about her mother

Not much is known about Sreeja Akula’s mom, Sai Sudha, as there is little information about her.

Know about his Father

Sreeja found it natural to handle a table tennis paddle, influenced by her father, Praveen Kumar, an employee at IFCO Tokyo General Insurance. Praveen enjoyed the sport in his youth at the club level but curtailed his ambitions due to financial struggles. Attempting to realize his aspirations through his older daughter, Ravali Akula, Praveen faced the same fiscal hurdles, leading Ravali to eventually opt for a secure future in engineering after showing initial potential in sports.