This WTA win is huge jump for Indian tennis, feels Karman

Gaining limelight after clinching the women's doubles title of $125,000 WTA Taipei OEC Open, Karman Kaur Thandi feels the recent win will help in the growth of women's tennis in the country.

Karman paired with Ankita Raina to claim their maiden title on the WTA Tour. The Indian duo clinched the title when Russia's Olga Doroshina and Natela Dzalamidze opted out due to latter's injury.

The Indian pair won the first set 6-4 but lost the second one 5-7. The tie breaker was tied 12-12 when Natela suffered an injury.

"It is a huge jump for Indian women's tennis and I am extremely happy," Karman told IANS here.

"This is the first time two Indian women tennis players have won the WTA title so it's a very proud moment for us. We set up well as a team, we had great communication and it really helped both of us get to where we would like," the 20-year-old added.

Commenting on the playing style, Karman, who also plays singles, said her aggressive style of playing helped her in the tournament.

"My playing style on the court is aggressive. I fight for every point. I really admire Maria Sharapova and I have grown up watching her play and observed her matches. I think our game style is pretty much the same," she said.

High after winning the title, Karman will now be playing ITF matches in Pune and Solapur and then will head to France for training.

She also said she is focusing on the Australian Open Grand Slam next year.

"I will be playing two ITF matches in Pune and Solapur and I will be heading back to France to train at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy," shae said.

"I am focused on the Australian Open Grand Slam next year and my goal of getting into the world top 150 soon," she added.

Asked if she will continue pairing up with Ankita in future tournaments, Karman said: "With respect to Ankita, it depends on a lot of factors and also if we chose the same matches."

"I don't know how things will pan out, but we set up really well together and I would definitely like more chances to play together," the ASICS athlete added.

Commenting on her association with ASICS, a Sport performance brand, Karman said, ""I am proud to play and represent India in a brand with a strong 60-year-old brand heritage. I've always been a fan of the brand since my early days and it's been an integral part of my every day running and training program.

"I am thrilled to be an ASICS Athlete. This is the preferred choice of shoes for some of the top athletes in the world including the Tennis World No. 1 Novak Djokovic," she added.

--IANS

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