Shuttler Ashmita Chaliha is on a roll. Ashmita on Friday reached the semi-finals of the Thailand Masters, beating world number 44 Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo in the women’s singles quarterfinal match. She has been moving from strength to strength, punching above her weight. The 24-year-old Chaliha remained the only Indian in the fray after Mithun Manjunath lost his men’s singles quarterfinals.
Chaliha has been in great form in the Thailand Masters. World no. 61 Chaliha, who made it to the main draw from the qualifiers, beat Wardoyo 21-14, 19-21, 21-13 in just under an hour.
Before Chaliha tied the score at eight, Wardoyo had a commanding 5-1 lead in the opening game. After the Indonesian gained a four-point lead again, however Chaliha closed the distance. with only 17 spots separating the two in the standings. After that, behind 10–14, the Indian embarked on an astounding 11-point winning streak that featured several smash shots to win the first game in a spectacular way.
The Indonesian fought back in the second set, beating the Indian to set up the decider. However, Chaliha, who hails from Assam, maintained her composure to win the game. She will face Supanida Katethong in the semi-final on Saturday.
