Asan (South Korea), August 8. Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha continued her good form at the Korea Masters Super 300 tournament here, reaching the final of a BWF World Tour event for the first time in her career after defeating compatriot Rakshitha Sri Santosh Ramraj in a three-game battle on Saturday. With this, the Guwahati native Ashmita is now one step away from creating history.
The 26-year-old Ashmita, who had stunned top seed Japanese Hina Akechi just 24 hours ago at the Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium, used her powerful and accurate smashes to defeat Rakshitha 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in 48 minutes in the first semi-final of the day played on Court No. 2.
Chaliha now faces Chinese Han Qian for the title.
Chaliha, ranked 50th in the world, will now face world No. 35 Chinese shuttler Han Qian Shi for the title. The reigning German Open champion and fourth seed Han won 22-20, 18-21, 21-14 in a 65-minute contest on Court 1.
If Chaliha defeats Qian, she will become the first Indian player (male or female) to win the Korea Masters title. No Indian has achieved this feat before. Chaliha, who was out of action for three months due to injury, previously exited the semifinals of the Macau Open in June and lost in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters in May.
Fourth Indian shuttler on track to win a BWF Tour title this season
Interestingly, if Ashmita wins the Korea Masters final, she will become the fourth Indian female shuttler to win a singles BWF title this year. Prior to her, Tanvi Sharma at the Taipei Open, PV Sindhu at the Japan Open, and Devika Sihag at the Thailand Masters have already proven their superiority.
Regarding the match, Chaliha made an aggressive start, taking a 6-2 lead in the first game. She then won five consecutive points to take a 13-6 lead and ultimately took the game. However, 19-year-old Rakshita, who had eliminated third seed Tanvi Sharma in the previous round, made a comeback in the second game. She maintained her lead until the end and took the match to the decider.
Chaliha, however, quickly took a 9-1 lead in the third game, thanks to powerful smashes and excellent baseline play. Meanwhile, world No. 49 Rakshita made a few errors, which Chaliha capitalized on. She eventually earned nine match points and, after missing two chances, sealed the match.