Ashmita Chaliha reaches Korea Masters final after beating Rakshitha Ramraj
Seoul, August 8
India's Ashmita Chaliha entered the women's singles final of the Korea Masters 2026 after defeating compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj in an all-Indian semi-final at the Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium on Saturday, according to Olympics.com.
World No. 50 Chaliha defeated World No. 49 Ramraj 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in a 48-minute contest to book her place in the final of the BWF Super 300 tournament.
Chaliha started strongly in the opening game, taking an 11-6 lead at the interval before comfortably closing out the game.
Ramraj responded in the second game, building an 11-6 advantage and holding off Chaliha's comeback to level the match and force a decider.
Chaliha regained control in the third game, racing to an 11-3 lead after a six-point winning streak. She maintained her advantage after the interval to seal victory and secure a place in the final, according to Olympics.com.
The Korea Masters final will be Chaliha's first appearance in a BWF World Tour final. She had earlier reached the semi-finals of the Macau Open in June.
Chaliha will face fourth seed and 2026 German Open champion Han Qianxi of China in the title clash. She also defeated Japanese top seed Hina Akechi on her way to the final.
A victory in Korea would make Chaliha the fourth Indian women's singles player to win a BWF title this year, after Tanvi Sharma at the Taipei Open, PV Sindhu at the Japan Open and Devika Sihag at the Thailand Masters.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the other Indian players to have won a BWF title this year, having claimed the men's doubles crown at the Singapore Badminton Open in May.
— ANI
Reader Comments
All-Indian semi-final is always a bittersweet moment. Happy for Ashmita, but feel for Rakshitha too. She fought hard in that second game. This depth in Indian women's badminton is amazing - four different winners this year already! 👏
The third game dominance (21-13) shows Ashmita's fitness and focus. Training with the Indian camp is clearly paying off. Now she faces the German Open champion Han Qianxi. Would love to see her bring the trophy home. All the best Ashmita!
Great to see the Korean Masters being kind to Indians! The next generation is truly stepping up. Tanvi, Devika, and now Ashmita - the post-Sindhu era looks very promising. The coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for building this pipeline.
A word for Rakshitha as well - she pushed the higher-ranked player to three games. These internal rivalries are making Indian badminton stronger. Also nice to see the men's doubles pair Satwik-Chirag continuing their winning ways. Exciting times for Indian badminton overall! 🏸
While the result is superb, I hope the Chinese opponent isn't underestimated. Han Qianxi has been consistent this season. Ashmita needs to bring that same aggression from the first and third games. A win here would be a massive boost ahead of the bigger tournaments. Let's go Ashmita!
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