If you have celebrated Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis' doubles title at the US Open, here's another reason to cheer. There’s a new female tennis star in town and judging by her recent performances, Indian tennis’ future is in very safe hands.
Karman Kaur Thandi may be just 17 but she’s been making a habit of defeating higher-ranked opponents. With a World Junior Ranking of 89 at the start of the current US Open, Thandi first defeated the 16th seed and the World Number 20 Katharina Hobgarski in the first round of the Junior Girls’ Singles category. Next up in the second round, Thandi kept her nerve to beat World Number 28 Evgeniya Levashova to proceed to the pre-quarter finals.
Giant-killer
Her third round opponent proved a far sterner test. Thandi faced off against Dalma Galfi, the second best junior tennis player in the world by ranking. Despite the odds, Thandi refused to bow down and put up a brave fight. After losing the first set, Thandi led 6-5 in the second set before Galfi came back swinging to force the set into a tie-breaker which she ultimately went on to win. Despite the loss, Thandi has every reason to be proud of herself – it’s not often that a tennis player from India defeats two higher-ranked opponents in back-to-back matches in a Grand Slam.
But this isn’t a one-off. A look at Thandi’s performances over the last two years reveals a talent of exceptional proportions. In 2014, Thandi was the inaugural winner in the under-16 category of the World Tennis Association’s Future Stars competition and was called up as a reserve for India’s Federation Cup campaign. Then in June 2015, Thandi created history of sorts by winning the girls’ singles title in a Grade 1 tournament, the International Junior Tournament at Offenbach, Germany – an achievement that can be put into context by the fact that a Grade 1 tournament in junior tennis is just below a Grand Slam in importance. Just before the US Open, Thandi reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open Junior Championships, another Grade 1 tournament. Unsurprisingly, having started the year with a ranking of 156, Thandi’s current ranking has shot up to a high of 62.
A bright future
A proud father, Chetanjit Singh is a happy man but he insists that his daughter could have performed even better if there had been more financial support. “See, tennis is an expensive game; it costs almost $1,500 per week for her training. We’ve tried to support her as much as possible” said Singh. “But if Thandi could have undertaken more extensive training and played more tournaments in Europe, she might have done even better.” The lack of financial support, according to Singh, has probably been the biggest issue. “We are getting a little bit of support now...her school [Ryan International] has been very helpful. Hopefully we will find a sponsor soon.”
There is no mistaking the sense of pride though in the father’s voice when he talks about his daughter’s achievements. “For a tournament in Washington this year, she only reached one day before the tournament, due to logistical issues. And despite the long travel and jetlag, she still made it to the pre-quarters and only lost to the world number nine.”
But it’s just the start of a long journey for her. Because of her higher ranking, Thandi can now participate in all four Grand Slams next year and will be looking to continue her giant-killing antics. From a women’s world ranking of 795, the aim is to break into the top 300 and top 400 by the end of 2016. With Sumit Nagal winning the Wimbledon boys' doubles and Thandi storming tennis circuits worldwide, these are exciting times for tennis in India.
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Karman Kaur Thandi may be just 17 but she’s been making a habit of defeating higher-ranked opponents. With a World Junior Ranking of 89 at the start of the current US Open, Thandi first defeated the 16th seed and the World Number 20 Katharina Hobgarski in the first round of the Junior Girls’ Singles category. Next up in the second round, Thandi kept her nerve to beat World Number 28 Evgeniya Levashova to proceed to the pre-quarter finals.
Giant-killer
Her third round opponent proved a far sterner test. Thandi faced off against Dalma Galfi, the second best junior tennis player in the world by ranking. Despite the odds, Thandi refused to bow down and put up a brave fight. After losing the first set, Thandi led 6-5 in the second set before Galfi came back swinging to force the set into a tie-breaker which she ultimately went on to win. Despite the loss, Thandi has every reason to be proud of herself – it’s not often that a tennis player from India defeats two higher-ranked opponents in back-to-back matches in a Grand Slam.
But this isn’t a one-off. A look at Thandi’s performances over the last two years reveals a talent of exceptional proportions. In 2014, Thandi was the inaugural winner in the under-16 category of the World Tennis Association’s Future Stars competition and was called up as a reserve for India’s Federation Cup campaign. Then in June 2015, Thandi created history of sorts by winning the girls’ singles title in a Grade 1 tournament, the International Junior Tournament at Offenbach, Germany – an achievement that can be put into context by the fact that a Grade 1 tournament in junior tennis is just below a Grand Slam in importance. Just before the US Open, Thandi reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open Junior Championships, another Grade 1 tournament. Unsurprisingly, having started the year with a ranking of 156, Thandi’s current ranking has shot up to a high of 62.
A bright future
A proud father, Chetanjit Singh is a happy man but he insists that his daughter could have performed even better if there had been more financial support. “See, tennis is an expensive game; it costs almost $1,500 per week for her training. We’ve tried to support her as much as possible” said Singh. “But if Thandi could have undertaken more extensive training and played more tournaments in Europe, she might have done even better.” The lack of financial support, according to Singh, has probably been the biggest issue. “We are getting a little bit of support now...her school [Ryan International] has been very helpful. Hopefully we will find a sponsor soon.”
There is no mistaking the sense of pride though in the father’s voice when he talks about his daughter’s achievements. “For a tournament in Washington this year, she only reached one day before the tournament, due to logistical issues. And despite the long travel and jetlag, she still made it to the pre-quarters and only lost to the world number nine.”
But it’s just the start of a long journey for her. Because of her higher ranking, Thandi can now participate in all four Grand Slams next year and will be looking to continue her giant-killing antics. From a women’s world ranking of 795, the aim is to break into the top 300 and top 400 by the end of 2016. With Sumit Nagal winning the Wimbledon boys' doubles and Thandi storming tennis circuits worldwide, these are exciting times for tennis in India.