Ashmita Chaliha Storms Into Maiden BWF World Tour Final at Korea Masters

Ashmita Chaliha continued her impressive comeback by defeating compatriot Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj in a hard-fought three-game semifinal at the Korea Masters Super 300 on Saturday, securing her maiden BWF World Tour final berth.

The 26-year-old Indian prevailed 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in a 48-minute contest, overcoming a spirited challenge from the 19-year-old Rakshitha to keep her giant-killing run alive. Ashmita made a blistering start, quickly turning a 2-2 scoreline into a 6-2 advantage in the opening game. She continued to dictate the rallies and produced a decisive five-point burst to move 13-6 ahead before comfortably closing out the game 21-13.

Rakshitha, however, showed why she had reached the semifinals with an upset of her own. The Pullela Gopichand Academy trainee, who had stunned third seed Tanvi Sharma in the quarterfinals after recovering from a game down, came out strongly in the second game.

The teenager raced to a 4-1 lead and stretched the advantage to 12-6. Ashmita fought back brilliantly, reducing the deficit to 12-13, but Rakshitha held her composure in the closing stages to take the game 21-16 and force a decider. Ashmita regained control immediately in the third game. She surged to an 8-1 lead and refused to allow her younger opponent a route back into the contest. Maintaining her advantage throughout, she sealed the decider 21-13 and completed a memorable victory.

The result marks another significant milestone in Ashmita's resurgence. She returned to competitive action in May following a three-month layoff caused by a medial meniscus tear in her right knee. Since her comeback, she has steadily rebuilt her form on the BWF Tour, including a semifinal appearance at the Macau Open.

Her run in Korea has now taken another major step forward. After stunning top seed and world No. 22 Hina Akechi of Japan in the quarterfinals, Ashmita has followed it up with another composed performance against a fellow Indian to book a place in the title clash.

For Ashmita, the Korea Masters final represents not only her biggest opportunity since returning from injury but also a chance to cap her comeback with the biggest title of her career so far.