After the Indian mixed doubles team of Ronit Bhanja and Anusha Kutumbale secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Australia in the ongoing 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships 2026, the Indian women’s doubles team of Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das outclassed the Maldivian pair of Mishka Mohamed Ibrahim and Aishath Alsaa in three straight games to qualify for the quarterfinal on Friday (Jul 31).
Just a day after the women’s team beat Malaysia for the gold medal at the Thyagaraj Stadium, the women’s doubles team continued the winning momentum.
The afternoon doubles match at Table 1 saw India take an early 1-0 lead in their R16 match.
The Maldivian pair of Ibrahim and Alsaa seemed no competition to their Indian counterparts as the hosts maintained a commanding position from the word go. Akula and Das had raced to a 6-1 lead with quick third-ball attacks, and closed the first game with five consecutive points. The first-game win set the tone for the Indian pair, who carried that momentum through the rest of the match.
The second game was no different, with the Maldivian pair showing grit and fight early on. The pair of Ibrahim and Alsaa kept the pace up to 3-4 before India’s top spin dominance forced seven consecutive unforced errors.
India maintained total control heading into the third set, playing their best in the end to seal a memorable victory. Leading 2-0 and needing just one more win to qualify for the quarterfinal, the Indian pair was clinical in its execution, winning nine of the first 10 points to close out the match comfortably.
Final Score: Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das (IND) beat Mishka Mohamed Ibrahim and Aishath Alsaa (MDV) (11-3, 11-4, 11-2).