Karman Thandi takes India to Grand Slam singles stage after nearly two years

A 27-year-old Karman Thandi has secured a place in the Women’s Singles Qualifying draw at Roland-Garros using her injury-protected WTA ranking of 238, ensuring India will have singles representation at a Grand Slam once again, as per reports.

This marks Thandi’s fourth appearance in Grand Slam qualifiers after competing at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, and the US Open in 2023.

She also becomes the first Indian singles player to feature at a Grand Slam since Sumit Nagal at Wimbledon 2025. Thandi had previously broken into the WTA Top 200 at just 20 years of age before injuries interrupted her rise on the professional circuit.

As per ATF, Thandi is a right-handed tennis player who began playing the sport at the age of eight. She prefers hard courts, a surface on which she has achieved all four of her ITF singles titles and recorded some of the best results of her professional career.

Thandi is currently ranked 1,488 in singles and 1,171 in doubles on the professional circuit. Her career-best rankings stand at 196 in singles and 180 in doubles, highlighting her previous success and strong presence on the international tennis stage, according to WTA Tennis. 

She has won four singles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit during her professional career, as per her stats on the ITF.

Her most recent title came in 2023 at the W60 Evansville tournament in Indiana on hard court. In 2022, she enjoyed a successful season by clinching two titles, the W60 Saguenay in Canada and the W25 Gurugram event in India, both played on hard courts. Thandi won her maiden professional title back in 2018 at the $25,000 Hong Kong ITF Women’s Circuit tournament, also on a hard surface.

Thandi, who has represented India in multiple international tournaments, continues to remain a recognised name in Indian women’s tennis despite recent fluctuations in rankings.