India’s number one-ranked and world’s 25th-ranked women's table tennis player Sreeja Akula made her birthday memorable on Wednesday. 

After Manika Batra, the paddler from Hyderabad also ensured a berth in the Pre-quarter-final of the ongoing Paris Olympics in her maiden entry in the Olympics. Sreeja, showing consistency in executing her lethal forehand top-spins as well as excellent variation in using her anti-spin rubber, defeated Singapore’s Zeng Jian in the Pre-quarter-final. 

She seemed to have lost rhythm after leading by 3-1 games. Zen, capitalizing on Sreeja’s lapse in concentration, won the fifth game. But Sreeja, shrugging off her lethargy, reduced the unforced errors and bounced back with her deadly forehand top-spins consistently to have the last laugh.

However, Lakshya Sen also in his maiden Olympics campaign advanced to the pre-quarter-final with a stunning victory against the world's third-ranked and reigning All-England champion, Jonatan Christie by straight sets. 

The score was 21-18, 21-12 in Sen’s favor. PV Sindhu also won her match easily against Estonia's Kuuba Kristina on the day.