look news india
Paris, August 1 (HS). Indian boxer Nishant Dev confirmed his place in the quarter-finals while paddler Sreeja Akula failed to create history by bowing out of the women's singles event at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
The Indian boxer managed to reach the last eight after a nervous contest against Jose Rodriguez of Ecuador. He managed to win the bout by a split decision verdict and booked his place in the men's 71kg quarter-finals.
While India tasted success in boxing, table tennis was a heartbreak for the country as Sreeja lost to world number one women's player Yingsha Sun on her birthday.
Akula had the opportunity to become the first Indian paddler to feature in the quarter-finals of table tennis at the Olympics. However, the challenge of defeating the world number one from China turned out to be an impeccable task for the 26-year-old.
Akula's inspired performance saw her dominate the Chinese paddler in the opening two games. Her early performance indicated that she would come out as the first paddler to achieve the feat. However, Akula succumbed to the might of Yingsha.
In the first game, Akula got four game points for herself, but Yingsha won six consecutive points to take the first game (10-12). The situation was the same in the second game as well. Akula had a five-point buffer. But Yingsha proved why she holds the number one ranking and took seven consecutive points to take a 2-0 lead (10-12) over the Indian paddler.
Akula allowed Yingsha to dominate and hit a series of aggressive forehand and backhand shots in the next two games. Akula adopted a defensive stance to nullify the offensive threat, but the 26-year-old found it difficult to bear the intensity. She lost the third game 8-11 and the fourth game 3-11, ending her campaign in the women's singles event.