Asan: India’s Ashmita Chaliha produced a determined comeback to win her maiden BWF World Tour title, defeating fourth seed Han Qian Xi of China in the women’s singles final of the Korea Masters Super 300 on Sunday.
The 26 year old from Assam overcame a difficult opening game and a tense decider to beat world number 35 Han 14 21, 21 14, 21 14 in a 53 minute contest.
Ashmita started confidently and quickly moved into a 3 0 lead before extending her advantage to 9 5. Han responded strongly, drawing level at 11 11 before taking control with a decisive run of points. The Chinese shuttler maintained her momentum to close out the opening game.
The Indian responded emphatically in the second game. She increased the pressure with aggressive smashes and combined her attacking play with sharp defensive returns. After the score was level at 6 6, Ashmita began to pull away and led 11 8 at the interval.
She continued to dominate the rallies after the break, moving 17 10 ahead before sealing the game 21 14 to force a decider.
The final game was closely contested. Ashmita led 5 2 early on, but Han turned the tables and went into the interval with an 11 9 advantage. The Indian refused to surrender momentum, moving ahead 12 11 with a precise winner.
Ashmita then produced a superb low stretch shot to make it 15 11 before continuing to exploit gaps in Han’s court. A cross court winner took her to 19 14, and a wide return from Han handed the Indian championship point. Ashmita converted the opportunity to complete a memorable victory.
The title marks another strong chapter in her comeback after a right knee medial meniscus injury forced her to undergo surgery and extensive rehabilitation following the 2024 Korea Open.
After returning to competition, Ashmita gradually rebuilt her fitness and recently recorded quarterfinal appearances at the China Masters and Malaysia Masters, followed by a semifinal run at the Macau Open.
The world number 50 trains under Park Tae Sang at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati. Her victory also gives India successive BWF World Tour titles, following Tanvi Sharma’s triumph at the Taipei Open the previous week.
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