Ashmita Chaliha’s run at the Macau Open 2026 Super 300 came to an end on Saturday after she lost 17-21, 9-21 to South Korea’s Park Ga Eun in the women’s singles semi-finals, bringing India’s campaign at the tournament to a close.
The left-handed Indian, ranked 63 in the world, was beaten in straight games in a match that lasted 38 minutes. Chaliha began brightly and even held a mid-game advantage in the opener, but Park seized control at key moments to move into the final.
How the semi-final turned: momentum swings in game one
The opening game featured Chaliha’s best spell of the contest, as she built a 15-11 lead and looked set to take the initiative. However, the momentum shifted sharply soon after, with Park stringing together six consecutive points to turn the game around and move ahead 17-15.
Chaliha responded with a brief fightback, drawing level at 17-17 to keep the first game alive. But Park finished stronger in the closing stages, pulling away to secure the opener 21-17 and put Chaliha under immediate pressure.
With the first game decided by a late surge, the second game became crucial for Chaliha to extend the match. Instead, Park maintained her grip on the contest as the Indian struggled to rediscover the rhythm that had helped her build an early lead in the opener.
Second game: early parity, then Park pulls away
The second game began evenly, with both players level at 3-3. From there, the pattern that hurt Chaliha in the first game returned more decisively. She lost her rhythm and was unable to mount the kind of resistance she showed late in the opener, as Park moved clear and closed out the match 21-9.
The straight-games defeat ended Chaliha’s inspired run at the Super 300 event and confirmed that there would be no Indian representation beyond the semi-final stage.
India’s campaign ends; Anmol Kharb in coaching chair
Chaliha’s exit in the women’s singles semi-finals marked the end of India’s campaign at the Macau Open 2026. The match also featured an Indian presence off court, with Anmol Kharb—who had earlier lost in the quarter-finals—spotted in the coaching chair for Chaliha during the semi-final against Park.
For Chaliha, the semi-final represented a deep run at a Super 300 tournament, but the decisive swings in momentum—particularly Park’s run of points in the first game and the one-sided second game—proved too much to overcome on the day.
