Asan (Korea), Aug 9: India’s Ashmita Chaliha produced a gritty show to secure her maiden BWF World tour title with a fighting win over fourth seed Han Qian Xi of China in the women’s singles final of the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament here on Sunday.
The 26-year-old from Assam, who had suffered a career-threatening knee injury two years back in Korea, overcame a slow start and a testing decider to complete a memorable victory, recovering from the loss of the opening game to stun world No. 35 Han 14-21, 21-14, 21-14 in the summit clash that lasted 53 minutes.
“I feel really great and unbelievable.But then I am trying to digest it. Now, I am hungry for more,” said Ashmita.
Ashmita’s win marks back-to-back BWF World Tour finals for Indians, with Tanvi Sharma having won the Taipei Open last Sunday.
The Indian opened up a 3-0 start and had a 9-5 lead early on but Han made a stirring comeback as the two players were locked at 11-11.
The Chinese shuttler found another gear and a run of points helped her establish control as she closed out the game comfortably to earn the bragging rights.
Ashmita responded strongly in the second game. She attacked with greater authority, using her smashes to put Han under pressure while also producing some sharp defensive returns to break off aft 6-6.
The Indian led 11-8 at the interval and continued to dictate the rallies thereafter.
Han struggled to close the gap as Ashmita maintained a comfortable advantage, moving 17-10 ahead before wrapping up the game 21-14 with another powerful attacking shot to force a decider.
The final game was closely fought early on, with Ashmita moving to a 5-2 lead early on only to see Han edge ahead 11-9 at the mid-game break.
Ashmita, however, kept fighting and gradually turned the momentum in her favour. She moved ahead 12-11 with a precise winner along the line. Another exceptional shot, played while stretching low towards the shuttle, landed just inside the court as Chaliha extended her advantage to 15-11.
The Indian continued to find the gaps in Han’s court and a cross-court winner made it 19-14. Han then sent her return wide, handing Ashmita the championship point and, ultimately, her first BWF World Tour title.
“In the first game, it was a little bit tricky because of the drift conditions, so I was not able to manage it… But in the second, the other side was more comfortable and there was less drift, so I was able to control it. And in the third, after 11 points, I changed again, so I was on the good side. I’m glad that I could pull off,” Ashmita said.
Ashmita had to undergo surgery and an extensive rehabilitation period after suffering a medial meniscus tear in her right knee during the Korea Open in 2024. She returned in February next year and played 14 events.
This year she competed in a couple of events but then spent three months building strength to handle a full elite BWF calendar load.
She enjoyed a strong comeback on the BWF Tour with back-to-back quarterfinals at China Masters and Malaysia Masters and then a semifinal appearance at the Macau Open.
The world number 50 trains under Park Tae-Sang at the National Centre of excellence in Guwahati. (PTI)
