Ashmita Chaliha reached her maiden BWF World Tour final on Saturday after defeating compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj in the women’s singles semifinal at the Korea Masters Super 300 in South Korea. The Assam shuttler won 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in a hard-fought all-Indian contest.
The result caps a strong run for the 26-year-old, who has made an impressive return to international competition after recovering from a right knee injury. She will now face China’s Han Qianxi in the title clash.
Ashmita Chaliha controls crucial semifinal
Ashmita Chaliha started the semifinal strongly and took the opening game 21-13. Ramraj, however, responded in the second game and forced a decider by winning it 21-16. The momentum then shifted again as Chaliha maintained her composure in the third game.
She eventually closed out the match 21-13 to secure her place in the final. The win also continued her strong showing in Gwangju, where she has defeated several higher-ranked opponents during the tournament.
Meanwhile, Ramraj had also produced a notable campaign before the semifinal. She reached the last four after beating fellow Indian and in-form player Tanvi Sharma in the quarterfinals.
Ashmita Chaliha extends impressive Korea Masters run
Ashmita Chaliha had already delivered one of the tournament’s biggest results in the quarterfinals. She defeated top seed Hina Akechi of Japan to book her place in the last four.
That victory gave the Indian further confidence ahead of the all-Indian semifinal. She followed it with another composed performance against Ramraj and now has a chance to claim her first BWF World Tour title.
The Korea Masters is a Super 300 event on the BWF World Tour. Therefore, reaching the final represents an important step in Chaliha’s progress after her difficult period away from competition.
Ashmita Chaliha makes strong comeback
Ashmita Chaliha returned to competition in May after a three-month absence caused by a medial meniscus tear in her right knee. She suffered the injury during the Korea Open and subsequently underwent surgery and rehabilitation.
Since returning, she has steadily rebuilt her form. She reached the quarterfinals at the China Masters Super 100 and Malaysia Masters Super 500 before making a semifinal appearance at the Macau Open.
Her Korea Masters campaign has now gone a step further. Moreover, the run comes at a significant stage of the season, with the BWF World Championships scheduled later in August.
Ashmita Chaliha faces Han Qianxi in final
Chaliha’s final opponent will be China’s Han Qianxi, who secured her place in the title match by beating her semifinal opponent 22-20, 18-21, 21-14. Han is ranked 35th in the world and entered the tournament as the fourth seed.
The final will present another demanding test for the Indian, who is currently ranked 50th in the world. However, her victories over higher-ranked players in Korea have shown that she can compete with leading opponents.
The match will also give Chaliha an opportunity to turn an excellent comeback campaign into her first major BWF World Tour title.
Ashmita Chaliha eyes maiden BWF World Tour title
Ashmita Chaliha’s progress to the Korea Masters final is already the biggest BWF World Tour achievement of her career. She has combined resilience with consistent performances to reach the title clash after returning from injury.
Her final appearance also comes soon after Tanvi Sharma won the Taipei Open, giving India consecutive BWF World Tour women’s singles finalists across successive weeks.
Overall, Chaliha now stands one match away from a breakthrough title. The Assam shuttler will look to complete her comeback with a strong performance against Han Qianxi and add a maiden World Tour crown to her growing career record.