India’s rising badminton star Ashmita Chaliha made a strong statement at the Thailand Masters 2026 Super 300 tournament by advancing to the women’s singles main draw after winning two tough qualifying matches in Bangkok.
The 26-year-old from Guwahati was an integral part of the gold-medal-winning Indian team at the 2024 Asia Team Championships in Selangor. She had a brilliant performance defeating Chinese Taipei’s Hung Yi-Ting 21–15, 12–21, 21–12 in 42 minutes in her opening qualification match.
Strong Showing in Qualification Rounds
Chaliha began her Thailand Masters 2026 qualification round with confidence and resilience. In the campaign, she first faced Hung Yi-Ting of Chinese Taipei. Initially, it was a bad first game for Chaliha, but she kept her confidence and bounced back. After dropping the first game 15–21, Chaliha came back impressively to win the next two games 21–12, 21–12.
It was an intense and interesting match which lasted till 42 minutes, demonstrating both stamina and tactical control under pressure.
The first game went head-to-head with 13 points each before world No. 65 Hung Yi Ting pulled away late to take the opener. Chaliha, 87th in the women’s singles badminton rankings, stepped up her focus in the second game. She gained an advantage at the interval after scores were tied at 9-9 and eventually forced a decider.
In the third game, Chaliha had already caught the momentum, breaking away from 3-3 with a 10-point surge to gain a commanding lead and close out the contest.
After defeating Hung Yi-Ting pretty comfortably, she was set to face Korea’s world no.97 Kim Joo Eun in her second qualifying match. Chaliha kept her confidence and momentum going, eventually also winning this clash.
Although falling short in the second game, she managed to bag the victory with the scoreline of 21–11, 10–21, 21–16. The game lasted for around 45 minutes, securing her spot in the women’s singles main draw at the Thailand Masters.
The Indian shuttler dominated the first opening game before Kim struck back to level the match with an even better scoreline. The decider was locked at 15 points each, but Chaliha kept her focus in the closing stages, pulling clear with a four-point burst to seal her spot in the main draw.
Main Draw Clash Ahead
Bagging both qualifying victories, Ashmita Chaliha is set to face fellow Indian Devika Sihag in the main draw of the women’s singles competition. These two Indian powerhouses will face each other, promising an intriguing contest of different play styles.
As both players look to make their mark on the Super 300 stage, no matter the winner, it will be a win for India.
Chaliha’s qualification highlights her continued growth on the international badminton circuit and adds valuable experience as she competes against higher-ranked players in the main field.
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What does this mean for India at the Thailand Masters?
In another match, Shreya Lele lost to Indonesia’s Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi 12–21, 21–12, 15–21 in the qualification stage.
In the mixed doubles qualification, M Jaglan and L Jaglan lost to Chinese Taipei’s Bo-Yuan Chen and Sung Yi-Hsuan 12–21, 8–21 in a one-sided contest.
In the men’s doubles, P Krishnamurthy Roy and S Pratheek K lost to Malaysia’s fourth seed N Azriyn and Tan W K 20–22, 20–22, while the women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam suffered a 14–21, 12–21 loss to Indonesia’s F Kusuma and M Puspitasari, seeded fifth, in 33 minutes.
Chaliha’s qualification adds to India’s presence in the main draw of the Thailand Masters Super 300. While other Indian shuttlers in doubles and mixed doubles qualification rounds faced earlier exits, Chaliha’s qualification stands out as a promising sign for Indian badminton.
Women’s singles players Malvika Bansod, Anmol Kharb and men’s singles players Kiran George and Priyanshu Rajawat will begin their campaigns on Wednesday. Hopefully, they can survive till the end of the competition.Get the latest cricket updates, match analysis, and breaking sports news with JeetWin Sports
