Ashmita Chaliha’s Malaysia Masters Run Ends After Quarter-Final Defeat to Line Kjaersfeldt

Ashmita Chaliha, ranked 71st in the world, started strongly and claimed the opening game before eventually losing 21-23, 21-18, 21-11 to the world No. 23 Danish player in a contest lasting 61 minutes.

The Indian shuttler dominated the early exchanges and surged to an 11-6 lead at the mid-game interval of the first game. Although Line Kjaersfeldt fought back impressively and restored parity at 17-17, Ashmita maintained composure during the closing stages and converted her third game-point opportunity to secure the opener.

However, the momentum shifted in the second game. Ashmita once again made an aggressive start and established a 10-5 advantage before the Danish player staged another comeback to trail by only one point at the interval. Line Kjaersfeldt levelled the score at 13-13 and then produced four consecutive points to move ahead 18-15 before closing out the game to force a decider.

The final game turned completely in favour of the Danish shuttler after an evenly contested beginning. With the scores tied at 4-4, Line Kjaersfeldt unleashed a four-point streak to open an 8-4 lead. Ashmita briefly narrowed the gap to 8-6, but the Dane responded with another dominant burst of five straight points to extend the advantage to 13-6 and comfortably finish the match.

The quarter-final clash marked the second meeting between the two players. Line Kjaersfeldt had also defeated Ashmita Chaliha in a three-game encounter during the Thailand Masters 2023.

Earlier in the tournament, Ashmita delivered an impressive performance in the round of 16 by defeating Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in straight games. Goh Jin Wei is a two-time junior world champion and the gold medallist at the 2018 Youth Olympics.

Meanwhile, Line Kjaersfeldt had entered the quarter-finals of the BWF Super 500 tournament after overcoming India’s Malvika Bansod in a three-game battle.

India’s campaign in the men’s singles category had already ended in the opening round following the defeats of Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy on Wednesday.

Indian badminton players will next compete at the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament, which begins on Tuesday.