Deepika makes first round exit in World Cup Final

The former World No.1 Deepika was no match for her Chinese counterpart Tan Ya-ting, who put up a strong display to win 6-0 in the first round of the Archery World Cup Final.

Deepika was the lone Indian to have made the cut to the World Cup Final draw of eight by virtue of her two quarterfinal finishes in the four World Cups this year but put up a very meek display to crash out in the first round.

Four-time silver medallist Deepika Kumari was beaten by Tan Ya-ting in straight sets to make an embarrassing first round exit from the Archery World Cup Final here on Sunday.

The former World No.1 Deepika looked a pale shadow of her former self against the Rio Olympics rival from Chinese Taipei, who put up a superlative display to seal the match 6-0 at the Stadio dei Marmi here.

Deepika was the lone Indian to have made the cut to the World Cup Final draw of eight by virtue of her two quarterfinal finishes in the four World Cups this year.

The archer from Taiwan, who had eliminated Deepika in the Olympics pre-quarterfinal last year, started off with two perfect 10s to take the Indian by surprise in the first set. Ya-ting shot 10-9-10 to set an early momentum, while Deepika was a slow-starter with 8-9-10 and never really overcame from the first set jitters.

The Olympic bronze medallist shot a sensational 30 out of 30 in the second set, to which Deepika (25) had no answer to.

Continuing her impressive form, Ya-ting shot 28 in the third set and blew away any chance of the Indian’s bid for a fifth final.