Archery
Ksenia Perova - The Russian archer Deepika Kumari is set to face in the pre-quarter finals
World number 1 Deepika Kumari all set to face world number 8 Ksenia Perova in the pre-quarters
ROC Archer Ksenia Perova (Sources: Getty Images)
Deepika Kumari stormed into the pre-quarters after dominating victories over America's Jennifer Mucino Fernandez and Bhutan's Karma while being drawn against ROC archer Ksenia Perova.
The Russian archer is coming off an impressive campaign with the ROC after making it to the Finals of the team event blowing past opponents with ease until they lost to Korea. The world number 8 ranked Russian has her task cut out for her as she goes up against the world number one who is in form. Her experience at the previous two editions will come in handy as she reached the quarter-finals in London but failed to get past the second round in a disappointing campaign at the Rio Olympics.
Perova has been a staple at the podium in team events as the ROC finished Silver in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics while going to the bronze-medal finals in London. The experience of playing under pressure while being able to pull out the victory is an art, not every athlete can master. She has proved that she has the mettle to keep her nerves in check under pressure and pull out all the stops to get the win. Being a world champion and one of the top 10 ranked players is no mean feat and takes years of persistence and practice to be perfect on a day that matters. She has also won 69 % of her professional matches since she started her archery career in 1999.
The Russian will have to use all the experience and determination to overcome Deepika, who will bring her A-game as she is bent upon making her maiden appearance on the podium. The defeat to Russia and Perova during the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympics will also be fresh on the mind of the world number one, whose steely mentality and approach will prove to be an obstacle for the Russian.
Perova waltzed into the pre-quarters with ease after mesmerizing performances against Alice Ingley of Australia and Maja Jager of Denmark. The match is all set to be a nail-biter as both competitors look to advance to the later stages.
