Ashmita Chaliha continued her 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, here on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Indian, who returned to competition in January 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 the game out 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 at 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.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)
