In a dazzling display of skill and determination, India’s Ashmita Chaliha stormed into the Women’s Singles semifinals of the Thailand Masters tournament on Friday, elevating the tricolor on the international badminton stage.
The World Number 61 exhibited exceptional prowess as she triumphed over Indonesia’s Ester Nurumi Wardoyo, ranked 44th, in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter at Bangkok.
The 24-year-old badminton sensation from Assam showcased her mettle in a gripping three-game battle, ultimately prevailing 21-14, 19-21, 21-13 against her Indonesian counterpart.
Chaliha’s victory not only underlines her individual prowess but also positions her as the lone Indian contender in the Women’s Singles category, following the Men’s Singles quarterfinal loss by Mithun Manjunath.
Despite a valiant effort by the national champion and World Number 63 Manjunath, he faced defeat against Dutchman Mark Caljouw with a scoreline of 19-21, 15-21 in the quarterfinals of the Men’s Singles.
Additionally, hopes were dashed in the Women’s Doubles category as the sixth-seeded duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand narrowly succumbed to the fourth-seeded Indonesian pair, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, with a score of 12-21, 21-17, 21-23 in the last-eight stage.