LOGINOVA upset by HONDA in quarterfinals!

The Tokyo World Cup Final really started on Saturday morning when the compound athletes took the field this morning for the quarterfinals! The individual compound matches are played out of 15 arrows at 50 metres with cumulative scores.
  Paul TITSCHER (GER/7) v Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA/2)   It was world No. 2 and World Cup ranked No. 2 Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) who was against the top German athlete Paul TITSCHER. Although TITSCHER’s is ranked lower being 9th in the world, the German athlete the last time they competed against each other in  Stage 1 in 2011. Did GELLENTHIEN get his revenge?   Both archers started the match with 28 points. GELLENTHIEN continued with a super X10, a 9 and another superb X10. TITSCHER was hitting all around the 10-ring: 9-9-9. The American led 57-55.   Both archers were superb in the third end 10-10-10! TITSCHER made up one point in the fourth end with another 10-10-10, while GELLENTHIEN had 10-9-10. The American led 116-115!   TITSCHER scored another 10 to start the fifth end, while GELLENTHIEN had a 9 which tied the Score! However, the German followed up with an 8 that proved to be very costly. GELLENTHIEN took the opportunity to build a 2-point lead again with a 10. TITSCHER scored 10 in his last shot. GELLENTHIEN was also able to shoot a 10 and won the match 145-143!   Dominique GENET (GER/7) v Julio Ricardo FIERRO (MEX/6)   Dominique GENET (FRA) had a great 2012 season with his first World Cup medal at Stage 1 in Shanghai with a 3rd place win. Today, he faced up against silver medalist from that shoot the Mexican archer Julio Ricardo FIERRO   FIERRO started strong with the score being 29-28 after the first end. He continued with a 10-10-10, while GENET had 10-10-9. The Mexican acher led 59-57.   GENET scored 10, a costly 8 and 10 in the third end, while FIERRO continued in a high fashion with 10-10-10 taking a commanding lead, of 89-85!   The Frenchman scored 10-9-9 in the fourth, but the Mexican let catch up with a 10-8-8. The lead was cut at 115-113.   GENET lost his last hopes when he started the fifth end with an 8, despite finishing with 10-10 for 141 points. FIERRO finished with 10-10-9 to advance to the semifinal, 144-141!   Peter ELZINGA (NED/5) v Pierre Julien DELOCHE (FRA/4)   Peter ELZINGA (NED), double former European champion and world record holder for the 144 arrow FITA Round met Pierre Julien DELOCHE from France, world ranked No. 3. These athletes met a few months ago at Stage 3 in Ogden in the semifinal. It was a tied score and both archer shot 10’s in the shoot-off but it was ELZINGA’s whose arrow was closest to the centre. ELZINGAwent on the finish 2nd and DELOCHE placed 3rd at that event.   In Tokyo, DELOCHE took the best start, 29-28, but ELZINGA came back at 56-56 after six arrows.   Both archers turned it up a notch in the third end as DELOCHE scored 10-10-10 and ELZINGA 10-10-9. The Frenchman led 86-85. However ELZINGA turned the match around with 10-10-9 in the fourth, while DELOCHE had 9-9-9. The man from the Netherlands was now in the lead, 114-113!   DELOCHE did not put pressure when he scored 9 to start the fifth end. He finished with 10-10. ELZINGA did what was needed with 10-10 and a 9 to win the match 143-142!   Reo WILDE (USA/1) v Naoto ANJI (JPN/8)   Reo WILDE (USA) has dominated the World Cup this year winning every leg both as an individual and in the team round. With his wins in mixed team medals as well, his total medal count is 7 golds and one silver. There is good reason why WILDE is world No. 1 and losing to fellow countryman Rodger WILLETT JR in the World Cup Final last year can only make him more determined. Reo faced Japan’s Naoto ANJI who had the home crowd support. With both competitors having an advantage, the competition was fierce.   WILDE started strong in the first end to win 29-27, 57-53 and 86-82. Then WILDE did not let any chance to his opponent scoring a perfect 10-10-10 in the fourth end. He increased his lead at 116-109.   ANJI scored 8-9 and a nice 10 to finish the match, but WILDE ended with 10-9-10 to win 145-136!   Danielle BROWN (GBR/7) v Marcella TONIOLI (ITA/2)   The London and Beijing Paralympic champion Danielle BROWN (GBR) entered her first World Cup Final event even though she was unable to attend the 2nd leg in Antalya due to her Paralympic commitments. She met the No. 3 ranked archer, Marcella TONIOLI (ITA) in the first match of the day!   TONIOLI was the winner of the Shanghai stage of the 2012 World Cup. With great weather conditions today, BROWN opened with a 10 and TONIOLI matched her. In the 2nd round,a disappointing 7 from BROWN opened the door at the beginning of the match. BROWN finished the first end with 26 while TONIOLI had 28.   TONIOLI hung on her 2-point lead in the second end, as both athletes scored 29, both dropping a 9 on the last shot. Then a perfect 30 from TONIOLI gave her another point over BROWN and a 3-point lead at this half way stage.   In the fourth end, TONIOLI pulled by another point, making it 116-112. It seemed like a red carpet walk for TONIOLI, but she suddenly stumbled! She could not shoot her second arrow of the last end! Despite two other 10s, that was only 20 points. BROWN finished perfectly on her side with 10-10-10 and took an improbable victory, 142-136!   Christie COLIN (USA/3) v Laura LONGO (ITA/6)   Italy’s Laura LONGO faced 2012 Ogden winner Christie COLIN (USA).  However, last year in Ogden, LONGO beat COLIN 144-146. They are world ranked 6 and 7 in the world, making it a close match.   One point separated these archers with 6 arrows left to shoot. COLIN shot a 30 to pull out another point in the fourth end over LONGO, whose last arrow was only a 9 as it was deflected out of the 10 by her other arrows. LONGO finished with a perfect 30 in the fifth, but COLIN shot a 28 to take the win by just one point.   Jamie VAN NATTA (USA/5) v Kristina BERGER (GER/4)   2008 World Cup champion Jamie VAN NATTA (USA) entered her fifth World Cup Final and met new German athlete Kristina BERGER who has made her debut this year in style, winning four World Cup medals and taking the European individual title too. Tokyo was their first encounter.   Both athletes opened with 10, 10 but neither managed to convert that start into a 30. Score was 29-29.   VAN NATTA shot a 29 and BERGER could only answer with a 28, giving the American a 1-point lead after the second end. In the third, an 8 from BERGER with her last shot gave VAN NATTA another point margin.   However, VAN NATTA shot a few poor shots in the fourth end. The match was tied with only three shots to go! The tension was high.   It was even tied with one shot to go and VAN NATTA’s 10 was matched by BERGER so it was a shoot off!   VAN NATTA shot first with a good 10. BERGER shoots another 10! However, VAN NATTA’s 10 was the closest to the centre, giving her the win!   Albina LOGINOVA (RUS/1) v Yumiko HONDA (JPN/8)   Albina LOGINOVA (RUS), the No.1 ranked archer in the world faced off against the current world champion against Yumiko HONDA (JPN). Having LOGINOVA in the first round too it makes a tough start for HONDA, who is the only archer not ranked in the Top 10 .    Both women started with a 10 followed by a 9 making the first end tied at 28. Then LOGINOVA was only able to shoot 8-8-9. HONDA took advantage of it to take a 2-point lead, 56-54!   The Japanese kept her advantage in the third end as both archers shot 29 points. Still a two point lead with 85-83!   LOGINOVA scored 9-9-10 in the fourth end, but HONDA increased her lead shooting superbly, 10-9-10. The No. 1 Japanese archer had a 3-point lead over the No. 1 in the world, 114-111!   LOGINOVA started the last set with a 10. HONDA shot a 9. LOGINOVA shot a 9. HONDA shot a 9! LOGINOVA finished with an 8 and lost her last chances. HONDA finished with a 10 to create one of the biggest upset in World Cup Final history! The Japanese archer was able to win in her home country 142-138!     Mixed Team Final: Japan v USA   Japan, having a hometown crowd supporting them takes on the dominating team from the USA in the compound mixed team final match..   The American team composed of WILDE and COLIN took a small lead in the first end with 10-9-9-10. The pair ANJI/HONDA shot 10-9-10-10 for 35 points.   However the Japanese team came back strong in the second end with 10-9-10-10, while the Americans did 9-9-9-10. The match was tied at 74-74!   The Americans took the lead back in the third end with a good 10-9-10-10, while the Japanese scored 9-9-9-10. The score was at 114-111.   Finally WILDE/COLIN finished with a superb 10-10-10-10 to win the match 154-147 versus ANJI/HONDA.   Michael PEART / Didier MIEVILLE World Archery Communication