India's Ashmita Chaliha and Rakshitha Ramraj will square off in the women's singles semifinals of the USD 250,000 Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament after registering wins in their respective quarterfinals here on Friday.World No. 50 Ashmita produced the biggest upset of the tournament so far, shocking top seed and World No. 22 Hina Akechi of Japan 20-22 21-15 21-19 in a gripping quarterfinal at the Asan Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium. The victory also helped the Indian avenge her defeat to Hina in their only previous meeting at the Malaysia Super 100 last year.Rakshitha, meanwhile, came from a game down to upset third seed and compatriot Tanvi Sharma 18-21 21-19 21-18 after a contest that lasted over an hour. It was her fourth win over Tanvi, who had won her maiden BWF title at Taipei Open last week.In a battle between two left-handers, Hina opened up a 7-5 lead before Ashmita drew level at 7-7. The two relied on angled returns to push each other into the deep corners, but a few errors from the Indian helped the Japanese take an 11-9 advantage at the mid-game interval.Ashmita stayed within touching distance, pulling level at 12-12 and again at 15-15 before moving ahead 17-15 and 18-16. She also earned a game point at 20-19 after Hina found the net but failed to convert it. Hina then drew level before Ashmita hit wide, allowing the Japanese to pocket the opening game with a cross-court winner.Ashmita responded strongly after the change of ends. Locked at 7-7, she reeled off six straight points to surge to a 13-7 lead. Although Hina reduced the deficit to 14-16, the Indian remained composed, claiming five of the next six points to force the match into the decider.The deciding game followed a similar pattern, with Ashmita racing to a…
This report has been adapted by the PurePlay Sports Desk from coverage by The Hindu Sportstar, NDTV Sports, Google News — India Sports, Khel Now, The Bridge.