Mumbai, June 20: The hopes of Indian badminton came to an end at the Macau Open Super 300 on Saturday. Asmita Chaliha faced defeat in the women’s singles semifinals against South Korea’s Park Ga-yun, losing in straight games with scores of 17-21, 19-21. The match lasted just 38 minutes.
In the first game, the Indian shuttler appeared to be in a strong position, leading 15-11. However, Park made a remarkable comeback, winning 10 of the next 11 points to clinch the game. In the second game, Asmita struggled to find her rhythm, while the Korean player maintained her dominance to secure the match in straight games.
Earlier, the 26-year-old Asmita had advanced to the semifinals by defeating Korean player Kim Min-sun in the quarterfinals with scores of 21-16, 21-18. After trailing by six points in the second game, she made an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive points to seal her victory.
After being sidelined for nearly three months due to an injury earlier this year, Asmita has gradually regained her form. Before arriving in Macau, she reached the quarterfinals at both the China Masters and Malaysia Masters, showcasing her consistency on the BWF World Tour.
In women’s singles, eighth seed Anmol Kharb was eliminated in the quarterfinals on Friday. The 19-year-old player lost to China’s fourth seed Han Qianxi with scores of 21-14, 15-21, 13-21.
The men’s singles campaign ended even earlier, with qualifiers Tharun Mannepalli and Raunak Chauhan exiting in the pre-quarterfinals. Indian doubles players also faced elimination in the same round. The Indian team will now focus on the upcoming US Open, the next tournament on the BWF World Tour calendar, starting on June 23.
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