Ashmita Chaliha reaches maiden BWF World Tour final at Korea Masters

Ashmita Chaliha continued her giant-killing run at the Korea Masters Super 300, overcoming teenage compatriot Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in 48 minutes to reach her maiden BWF World Tour final.

The 26-year-old, who returned to competition in May after a three-month layoff due to a medial meniscus tear in her right knee, has enjoyed a strong comeback on the BWF Tour, including a semifinal appearance at the Macau Open.

Ashmita, who had stunned top seed and world No. 22 Hina Akechi of Japan in the quarterfinals, came out aggressively and quickly moved from 2-2 to 6-2 in the opening game. She then reeled off five straight points to establish a 13-6 lead before closing out the game 21-13.

Rakshitha, who had upset third seed and compatriot Tanvi Sharma in the quarterfinals after coming from a game down, responded strongly. The 19-year-old Pullela Gopichand Academy trainee raced to a 4-1 lead and extended it to 12-6 before Ashmita fought back to 13-12, but Rakshitha held her nerve to force a decider, taking the second game 21-16.

Ashmita, however, regained control in the third game, opening up an 8-1 lead and maintaining her advantage to seal the match 21-13 and book her first BWF World Tour final berth.