But in the fourth game, Sreeja Akula showed the beginnings of her never-say-die spirit and prevailed 11-7 by using her astute forehand plays. At 2-2 in the match, Liu once more took the lead with a close game to win it 15-13 in the fifth game.
Sreeja Akula of India suffered a heartbreaking loss at the Commonwealth Games, losing 3-4 in a bronze medal play-off to Australia’s Yangzi Liu.
Sreeja lost 11-3 6-11 2-11 11-7 13-15 11-9 7-11 after a series of comebacks in a match that lasted more than an hour.
The Hyderabad-born paddler made a confident start against Liu, who appeared nervous, and took advantage of that to race to an 11-3 victory in the first game.
The Australian responded with a more aggressive attitude, winning the second game 11-6 to tie the game.
Liu, buoyed by her comeback in the second game, picked up where she left off and refused to let the Indian get into a rhythm.
Sreeja, on the other hand, showed the first signs of her never-say-die attitude by winning the fourth game 11-7 with smart forehand plays. With the match tied at 2-2, Liu once again took the lead with a tight game, winning 15-13 in the fifth game.
The sixth game turned out to be a battle of wits between the two players, but Sreeja triumphed 11-9 after trailing 1-7 at one point. The deciding set was similar, as Sreeja came back from a 1-6 deficit to win 5-8.
But it was the Australian who had the last laugh and walked away with the bronze. In the men’s events, the pair of Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan will face the English duo of Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford in the doubles gold medal match.In the singles events, Sharath will take on Drinkall in the first semifinal later tonight while Sathiyan will cross swords with Pitchford in the second semifinal clash.
Anamika 
Harsh