The last couple of months have been really fruitful for Karman Kaur Thandi.
The 20-year-old from Delhi clinched her maiden singles title on the ITF Pro circuit in Hong Kong in June, while making it to the semifinals in two other tournaments in China.
The string of good results propelled the youngster into the top-200 of the WTA women's singles rankings last month, just the kind of spring she needed heading into the Asian Games.
"I've played some good matches, which has shown in my rankings that have gone up. And that has definitely given me a boost," Karman said.
Karman, who started playing tennis at the age of eight, had entered four ITF finals since 2015 before the Hong Kong event but had fallen short every time in the final hurdle.
She said it was critical that she broke her title jinx soon.
"I had reached a couple of finals before and lost, but they were close matches. Getting this (Hong Kong) title meant a lot for me, it gave me a special feeling. Reaching the final and winning the tournament is completely different," she said.
"I just believed in myself and kept playing my game style. It's a process. It can't come in one day. All the experience I've gained from those losses has helped me," she added.
She will take that experience into her first ever appearance at the Asiad, and is upbeat about her chances of ending up on the podium.
"Really excited to be part of Asian Games," she said.
"The target is to get a medal for the country. The level of competition is good there. But I am confident enough. I just have to go on court and keep my focus and confidence," she added.
INSPIRATION FROM MARIA
Karman Kaur Thandi takes inspiration from Maria Sharapova. “I picked up a lot of her game style, her attitude on court and just her fighting spirit while growing up,” Karman said. She has also met the Russian at a WTA event in Singapore.
