Dhiraj Bommadevara shines as Marathas defeat Chiefs in straight sets

Mighty Marathas registered their first win of the Archery Premier League season with a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Chola Chiefs at Necklace Road. Mike Schloesser shot six perfect 10s, while Dhiraj Bommadevara delivered under time pressure to seal the win

Hyderabad: Mighty Marathas bounced back in style after losing their opening two matches, beating Chola Chiefs comprehensively without dropping a single set on Saturday in the second season of the Archery Premier League at Necklace Road.

Led by Mike Schloesser and anchored by Dhiraj Bommadevara under time pressure, the Marathas beat the Chiefs 6-0 to register their first win of the tournament. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have now suffered two defeats in three matches.

---

Schloesser, nicknamed ‘Mr Perfect’, lived up to his billing, shooting 10s with all six arrows for the Marathas.

The Chiefs stuck to their tactic from Day 2, opting to have their compound archers shoot back-to-back at the start of the set. However, Chikitha Taniparthi’s two 9s meant they could not exert the same scoreboard pressure on their opponents. The Marathas’ recurve archers shot a couple of 8s, but their compound archers had done enough to help them take the first set 74-73.

In the second set, the Marathas’ star recurve archer, Dhiraj Bommadevara, produced a super 10 as the clock wound down, helping his team take a 4-0 lead. Taniparthi again shot a pair of 9s, prompting the Chiefs to bring on Colombia’s Alejandra Usquiano, who had been in fine form on the second day.

In the third set, despite a decent start by the compound archers, Deepika Kumari and Marcus D’Almeida failed to maintain the pressure, shooting outside the yellow zone on the target. The Marathas held steady to win the low-scoring set 74-72 and seal the match before the fourth set.