India’s Ashmita Chaliha and Rakshitha Ramraj booked an all-Indian women’s singles semifinal at the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament after registering impressive quarterfinal victories in Asan, South Korea, on Friday.
World No. 50 Ashmita produced the biggest upset of the tournament, defeating top seed and World No. 22 Hina Akechi of Japan 20-22, 21-15, 21-19 in a thrilling contest at the Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium.
The victory also helped Ashmita avenge her defeat to the Japanese shuttler at the Malaysia Super 100 last year.
Rakshitha, meanwhile, came from a game down to overcome third seed and compatriot Tanvi Sharma 18-21, 21-19, 21-18 in a match lasting over an hour. It was Rakshitha’s fourth career win over Tanvi, who arrived in Korea after winning her maiden BWF World Tour title at last week’s Taipei Open.
With both Indians progressing, India is guaranteed a women’s singles finalist.
However, there was disappointment in the men’s doubles as Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing 7-21, 8-21 to Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Soh Wooi Yik.
Ashmita Topples Top Seed
In a battle between two left-handers, Hina held a slender advantage for most of the opening game before edging it 22-20 after Ashmita failed to convert a game point.
Ashmita responded strongly in the second game, breaking away from 7-7 with a six-point burst before closing it out 21-15 to force a decider.
The Indian looked in complete control after racing to an 18-11 lead in the final game, but Hina staged a late fightback to reduce the deficit to 18-17. Ashmita, however, held her composure in the closing stages to complete a memorable victory.
Rakshitha Holds Nerve Against Tanvi
Rakshitha dominated the early exchanges of the opening game before Tanvi produced a stunning comeback, overturning a five-point deficit to claim the opener.
The second game remained evenly contested, but Rakshitha stayed composed in the crucial moments to level the match after Tanvi hit wide on the second game point.
In the deciding game, the scores were locked at 14-14 before Tanvi committed a series of unforced errors, allowing Rakshitha to pull clear. She converted her fourth match point after Tanvi’s return found the net, sealing a place in the last four.
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