Ashmita Chaliha defeats Rakshitha Ramraj at Korea Masters 2026, Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium; maiden BWF World Tour final

Korea Masters 2026 badminton: Ashmita Chaliha beats compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj to enter maiden BWF World Tour final

Chaliha will take on the reigning German Open champion Han Qianxi of China in the title clash.

Ashmita Chaliha entered the women’s singles final of the Korea Masters 2026 badminton tournament after beating compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj at the Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium on Saturday.

In an all-Indian semi-final, Ashmita Chaliha, 50th in the women’s singles badminton rankings , defeated world No. 49 Rakshitha Ramraj 21-13, 16-21, 21-13 in 48 minutes.

The 26-year-old Ashmita Chaliha controlled the first game from the outset, leading 11-6 at the interval and kicking on to clinch the opener.

However, Rakshitha Ramraj responded strongly in the second game, opening up an 11-6 lead before holding off Ashmita Chaliha’s fightback to level the match and force a decider.

Ashmita Chaliha then took control in the decider, racing to an 11-3 lead at the interval after a run of six straight points.

She went on to maintain her advantage after the break, sealing the win and booking her place in the final.

Ashmita Chaliha’s title clash at the Korea Masters will mark her maiden appearance in a BWF World Tour final. The Indian badminton player had previously exited in the semi-finals of the Macau Open in June.

She will now face fourth seed and 2026 German Open champion Han Qianxi of the People’s Republic of China in the final of the BWF Super 300 badminton tournament. Chaliha also beat Japanese top seed Hina Akechi in her run to the final.

A win in the Korea Masters final will make her the fourth Indian woman to claim a singles BWF title this year after Tanvi Sharma in the Taipei Open, PV Sindhu at the Japan Open and Devika Sihag at the Thailand Masters.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the other Indians to have won a BWF title this year, having clinched the men’s doubles crown at the Singapore Badminton Open in May.

BWF World Championships India medal winners: When PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal made their mark