Dipika-Praveen lost 2-6 in mixed team quarterfinals

The Indian Archery mixed team of Deepika Kumari and Praveen Jadhav has lost in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. The Indian pair was defeated by South Korean partners 6-2.

Dipika and Praveen, who made it to the quarter-finals after defeating Chinese Taipei pair of Lin Chia-en and Tang Chih-chun, faced Korea Deok Kim and San An in the quarter-finals.

The Korean partners did not allow Praveen and Deepika to take a 4-0 lead after the opening two sets. In the third set, the Indian partners collected two points and scored 2-4 but a poor performance in the final set did not allow them to take the match into a tie-breaker.

Korea won the fourth set 36-33. A 6 in Praveen Jadhav’s first shot cost India. India finished with scores of 6,9,9,9 while Koreans were ahead with 10,7,10,9. India won the third set 37-35 to stay alive in the match (4-2). The Indian pair registered a score of 9,9,10,9 while the Korean managed 9,9,9,8.

South Korea was ahead 4-0 after two sets with scores of 35–32, 38–37. In the first set, India had a series of 8,7,8,9 while Korea scored 10,7,9,9. In the second set, the Indians did better with a score of 10,8,10,9, but the Koreans again outplayed the Indian pair with a score of 10,10,9,9.

Earlier, the Indian pair entered the quarter after beating their opponents 5-3 after going 3-1 down in the pre-quarterfinal match. The Indian pair needed a perfect 10 to win the tie-breaker, with the Indian pair scoring two 10 points to seal the deal. It was Praveen Jadhav, who won the right to compete with Deepika in the mixed team event – after scoring the maximum points in the men’s qualification – ahead of Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai.