Malaysia Masters 2026: Ashmita Chaliha storms into quarterfinals

Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha delivered another commanding performance at the Malaysia Masters Super 500, advancing to the women's singles quarterfinals with a straight-games victory over host nation's Goh Jin Wei on Thursday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.

The 21-year-old from Assam, who began her campaign in the qualifying rounds, produced a dominant display against the world No. 55 Goh, clinching the match 21-13, 21-16 in just 27 minutes.

Ashmita dictated proceedings right from the start, seizing the first game comfortably. In the second game, even as the Malaysian tried to mount a comeback, the Indian maintained firm control and closed out the contest without dropping a game.

This marks the third time in her career that Ashmita has reached the quarterfinal stage of a Super 500 tournament, underlining her growing consistency at the higher levels of international badminton.

In the last-eight clash, she will face Denmark's eighth seed Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt, who progressed after accounting for two Indian players - Anmol Kharb and Malvika Bansod - in the preceding rounds. The rest of the Indian contingent unfortunately exited the tournament in their respective matches.

Ashmita's impressive run continues to shine a spotlight on India's emerging talent in women's singles as the tournament heads into the business end.