Chaliha seals first BWF World Tour final
India's Ashmita Chaliha advanced to her maiden BWF World Tour singles final at the Korea Masters Super 300, overcoming compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in the semifinal on Saturday in Korea. The 26-year-old, world-ranked 50th, set up a title clash against China's fourth-seeded Han Qianxi, the world No. 35. Coverage from olympics.com and Rediff.com, citing PTI, confirmed the result and the final pairing.
A comeback built on aggressive shot-making
Chaliha returned to competition in May after a three-month layoff caused by a medial meniscus tear in her right knee, and the Korea Masters run marks her strongest return yet on the BWF Tour. She trains at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati under coach Park Tae-sang. Earlier in the tournament she stunned top-seeded Japanese player Hina Akechi, the world No. 22, in the quarterfinals.
Three-game semifinal, decided in the decider
Chaliha surged to a 13-6 lead in the opening game after moving from 2-2 to 6-2, closing it out 21-13 with a run of five straight points. The 19-year-old Ramraj, a Pullela Gopichand Academy trainee, responded in the second game, racing to a 4-1 advantage and later converting her fourth game point to level the match. Chaliha reasserted control in the third, opening a 9-1 lead and carrying an 11-3 cushion into the final interval before closing out the decider.
Wider Indian surge on the BWF Tour
Chaliha's run extends a season in which Indian shuttlers have reached finals at multiple international events, including Tanvi Sharma's Taipei Open title the previous Sunday. The back-to-back BWF World Tour finals underscore the growing depth of India's singles and doubles contingents at Super-level events.
Han Qianxi awaits in the final
Han Qianxi, the fourth seed, progressed with a 22-20, 18-21, 21-14 win over her semifinal opponent in a one-hour, five-minute battle. She will meet Chaliha for the Korea Masters Super 300 title on Sunday.
Other developments
Separately, a South Florida Reporter video segment featured a pickleball match played with ping-pong-style rackets on a badminton court with a tennis-height net, highlighting cross-sport equipment experimentation rather than tournament results.
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