26-year-old beats China’s Han Qian Xi to secure her maiden BWF World Tour title
Asan: 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 beat world No 35 Han 14-21, 21-14, 21-14 in 53 minutes.
Ashmita, ranked 50th in the world, returned strongly after losing the opening game. She attacked with greater authority in the second game, using her smashes to put Han under pressure and level the contest.
The decider was closely fought, with Han leading 11-9 at the changeover. Ashmita, however, raised her aggression and turned the momentum around, winning 12 of the next 17 points to seal the title.
The victory capped a remarkable comeback for Ashmita, who underwent surgery and extensive rehabilitation after suffering a medial meniscus tear in her right knee during the 2024 Korea Open.
She returned to competition the following year and later reached quarterfinals at the China Masters and Malaysia Masters before making the Macau Open semifinals.
Ashmita’s triumph also gave India back-to-back BWF World Tour titles after Tanvi Sharma won the Taipei Open last Sunday.
