Ashmita Chaliha Wins Korea Masters Women's Final in Asan on Aug. 9, Beats Han Qian Xi 14-21, 21-14, 21-14 for Maiden BWF World Tour Title

India's Ashmita Chaliha won the women's singles final of the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament in Asan, Korea, on Sunday, Aug. 9, securing her maiden BWF World Tour title by defeating China's fourth seed Han Qian Xi with a comeback 14-21, 21-14, 21-14 in 53 minutes after losing the opening game.^[1][2][3]

The final in Asan lasted 53 minutes and paired the 26-year-old from Assam, ranked world No. 50, against Han, world No. 35 and the fourth seed in the draw. Chaliha entered the match looking for her first title on the BWF World Tour and had to recover from a slow start to do it.^[3]

The victory gave India back-to-back BWF World Tour finals won in women's singles, after Tanvi Sharma won the Taipei Open the previous Sunday.^[3]

How Chaliha turned the Asan final after dropping the opener 14-21

Chaliha opened 3-0 and held a 9-5 lead early, but Han worked back to level at 11-11. The Chinese shuttler then found another gear, putting together a run of points to establish control and closing the game 21-14.^[3]

In the second game Chaliha attacked with more authority, using smashes to pressure Han and adding sharp defensive returns to break clear after 6-6. She led 11-8 at the interval, pushed ahead to 17-10, and wrapped the game 21-14 on a powerful attacking shot to force a decider.^[3]

The final game was closely fought at the start. Chaliha moved to 5-2, then saw Han edge ahead 11-9 at the mid-game break. She kept fighting to turn momentum, going up 12-11 with a precise winner along the line and stretching low to keep a shuttle just inside for 15-11. A cross-court winner made it 19-14 before Han sent her return wide, handing Chaliha championship point and her first BWF World Tour title.^[3]

Return from right-knee surgery and build in Guwahati

Chaliha had to undergo surgery and an extensive rehabilitation after suffering a medial meniscus tear in her right knee during the Korea Open in 2024. She returned in February the following year and played 14 events, according to the report from Asan.^[3]

This year she competed in a couple of events and then spent three months building strength to handle a full elite BWF calendar load. She came back on the Tour with back-to-back quarterfinals at the China Masters and Malaysia Masters and a semifinal appearance at the Macau Open. The world No. 50 trains under Park Tae-Sang at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati.^[3]