Sreeja Akula withdraws from UTT with stress fracture

Indian table tennis player Sreeja Akula has been ruled out of the upcoming season of the Ultimate Table Tennis due to a stress fracture.

UTT is scheduled to start from August 22 to September 7. This edition will have eight teams as compared to six and defending champions Goa challengers will face newcomers Jaipur Patriots in the opening match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

Akula, who along with world No. 25 Manika Batra created history by becoming the first Indian players to make the round of 16 in individual events at the Paris Olympics, is currently the highest ranked player in the country at the 22nd position.

The two-time national champion Akula was slated to play for Jaipur Patriots but in a statement released on Monday, the 26-year-old informed that she will need a resting period of six weeks.

"I am sorry to share that I have been diagnosed with a stress fracture and on my doctor's advice, I will need to rest for six weeks, which unfortunately means (that) I will not be able to participate in the UTT," she said.