Karman ends runner-up at Nanning ITF event

Striving to establish her on the international circuit, Indian tennis player Karman Kaur Thandi put up a spirited fight before going down against Xinyun Han in the title clash of the USD 25000 ITF event in Nanning, China on Sunday.

Playing her second final of the season, Karman lost 4-6 6-2 4-6 to the local favourite.

Nevertheless, it was a tremendous week for the Indian, who beat three top-200 players on the way to the final. She accounted for Julia Glushko (123), Katie Swan (163) and Carol Zhao (189).

"I feel motivated to have beaten the girls ranked higher than me. All the matches were of great intensity. I gave my 100 percent in every game and every point. Of course I am not satisfied with the final result but it was very close. The intensity and competitiveness in this match was at a very good level," Karman, ranked 215, told PTI from Nanning.

"I am taking positives from this and getting stronger for the upcoming challenges. It was a good week for me. The level of this tournament was very high for a 25k event, considering the ranking of the players in the draw," she added.

The 20-year-old from Delhi had won her maiden title at this level in Hong Kong in June and also made three semifinals.

Karman said she was working on the mental, technical and tactical part of the game.

"It requires all three. All of these aspects need to improve. I want to keep improving each day so that I can handle the situations better," she said.

Karman will next play in the WTA Mumbai Open.