Ashmita Chaliha Wins Korea Masters, Claims First BWF World Tour Title

'I'm hungry for more': Ashmita savours maiden BWF World Tour title after Korea Masters triumph

Asan City, Aug 9

"I feel really great; it's unbelievable. I'm still trying to digest it," Ashmita said in a video by Olympics.com after completing a comeback victory that earned her a maiden BWF World Tour crown and moved her closer to a place among the world's top 40.

The Indian, ranked No. 50 before the tournament, had to negotiate challenging conditions as she recovered from a slow start in the final. Ashmita initially led 9-5 but was unable to maintain her advantage and surrendered the opening game 14-21.

The conditions, however, played a significant role in how the match unfolded, and Ashmita found her rhythm once she switched sides.

"First set was a little bit tricky because of the drift conditions, so I wasn't able to manage it. But then the second set, the other side is more comfortable, and it's a little bit less drift. So I was able to control it. In the third set, when I changed again after 11 points, I was on the good side...so I'm glad that I could pull off."

That adjustment proved decisive. Ashmita steadily took control of the second game before carrying the momentum into the decider, where she kept Han under pressure to close out the biggest title of her career.

The triumph also made Ashmita the first Indian to win the Korea Masters, adding another milestone to a season in which she has made significant progress after returning from a three-month injury layoff in May.

Her run in Asan was particularly notable given the quality of opposition she overcame. After beginning her campaign with a straight-game victory over qualifier Ririna Hiramoto, she dispatched Kim Min Ji before producing one of her biggest wins of the tournament against top seed Hina Akechi in the quarterfinals, prevailing 20-22, 21-15, 21-19.

She then defeated compatriot Rakshita Sree Santhosh Ramraj to reach her first BWF World Tour final, setting up the title clash with Han.

For Ashmita, the breakthrough has come after a promising return to the tour. She reached the quarterfinals at both the China Masters and Malaysia Masters in her first two tournaments following her injury-enforced absence, before making the semifinals of the Macau Open in June.

Her latest success is set to take her into the world's top 40 for the first time. While the achievement is already the biggest of her career, Ashmita was quick to look ahead rather than dwell on the milestone.

"I didn't know this. I feel blessed; thank you to everyone back home for supporting me. I'm hungry for more!," she added.

She also credited coach Park Tae-Sang for the energy and belief that helped her through the tournament, saying, "All the credit goes to coach Park. Without him, I wouldn't have been this much energetic."

Ashmita's title adds to India's BWF World Tour success this season, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty having also won the men's doubles crown at the Singapore Badminton Open in May.

— IANS