Thailand Masters 2024: Ashmita Chaliha bows down against Supanida in maiden semifinals

Talented Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha faced a setback against the world number 17, Supanida Katethong in the women’s singles semi-final of the Thailand Masters 2024 Super 300 on Saturday. The Thai star won the match in straight games, 21-13, 21-12. Interestingly, this was the first time young Chaliha reached the semis of a BWF World Tour tournament.

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What happened in the match?

The Thai shuttler started well in the contest as Chaliha, ranked 61st globally, trailed 5-11 at the first mid-game interval. However, the Indian shuttler did manage to pocket a flurry of points late in the game. She started five in a row at one point, to reduce a 7-18 deficit to 12-18, but Katethong soon got her act together to close it 21-13 with ease.

Chaliha had a much better start in the second game as she was within a touching distance of the Thai at 6-7, but soon found herself trailing 7-11 as Katethong pressed on the accelerator. The Indian once again won a few points post the interval but never looked to be threatening enough as Katethong wrapped up the match in 35 minutes.

The loss ended a good week for Chaliha as she made it to her first-ever World Tour semi-finals. Earlier, the southpaw defeated Ester Nurmi Wardoyo 21-14, 19-21, 21-13 in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Chaliha’s loss also drew curtains on the Indian campaign at the 2024 Thailand Masters.

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