Manika Batra Triumphs While Sreeja Akula Faces Setback at ITTF World Cup 2026

Day Two Highlights from the ITTF World Cup 2026

On the second day of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup 2026 held in Macau, Indian table tennis players Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula experienced different fortunes. Manika, currently ranked 47th in the women's category, achieved a thrilling 3-2 victory against Lily Zhang from the USA, who is ranked 42nd. Although Manika initially appeared to be on her way to a straightforward win, Lily mounted a remarkable comeback, forcing a tie-break in the third game and winning the fourth to push the match to a decisive fifth game. Ultimately, Batra's experience as a three-time Olympian shone through as she secured the win in her final group stage match.

Sreeja Akula's Mixed Performance

Conversely, Sreeja Akula, ranked 44th, started strong against Portugal's Fu Yu by winning the first game. However, she ultimately fell short, losing the match 1-3 with scores of 8-11, 11-9, 15-13, and 11-8.

Looking Ahead: Upcoming Matches for Indian Players

Sreeja's next challenge will be against Wang Manyu of China, the world number two and Olympic gold medalist, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Manav Thakkar, who lost his opening match to South Korea's Park Gang-hyeon in the men's singles, is set to compete against Truls Moregardh of Sweden, the Olympic silver medalist and current world number two. Notably, no Indian player has ever won a medal at the ITTF World Cup, and both Manika and Sreeja faced early exits in the previous year's tournament.