DeSilva-Andrade Advances To Quarter-Finals
Yushae DeSilva-Andrade has advanced to the quarter-finals of her boccia competition at the Paralympic Games in Paris and will face China’s Qi Zhang at the South Paris Arena this afternoon [Aug 31].
DeSilva-Andrade says she is growing in confidence as she prepares for her quarter-final match in the women’s BC1 division. She had already done enough to secure her spot in the quarters before losing 5-1 to Hiromi Endo, of Japan, in her second pool C match today.
The 30-year-old, who made a winning start to her campaign, beating Kinga Koza, of Poland, 4-1 on Thursday, will play in the quarter-finals at 2.35 pm [BDA time].
Zhang, ranked ninth in the world, has shown impressive form, winning both her preliminary round matches decisively, including a 19-0 victory over Aounallah Maha, of Tunisia, and a 7-0 win against Dora Basic, of Croatia.
Despite losing to Endo, DeSilva-Andrade said she was encouraged by aspects of her game and believes she will be sharper with her accuracy when she meets Zhang.
“The first end was rough [losing 3-0], and I wasn’t able to put the ball exactly where I wanted it,” DeSilva-Andrade told Bernews. “However, I felt like I grew into the game as it went on.
“I’ve got the errors out of the way and can now focus on the quarter-finals.
“I already knew I was in the quarters and just tried to block that out of my head [against Endo]. I can take a lot of confidence from the way I’ve been playing.”
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