An Indian Player At Roland Garros? Karman Thandi Ends India’s Grand Slam Singles Drought

Last Updated:May 17, 2026, 10:40 IST

Karman Kaur Thandi will compete in the Roland-Garros 2026 qualifying draw using a protected ranking, ending India’s long wait for Grand Slam singles representation.

Indian tennis will once again be represented in Grand Slam singles competition.

Karman Kaur Thandi has secured a place in the women’s singles qualifying draw for the upcoming French Open using her injury-protected WTA ranking.

The entry also ends India’s absence from Grand Slam singles competition, with no Indian player having featured in a singles main draw or qualifying event since Wimbledon 2025.

A Long-Awaited Return

Thandi enters Roland-Garros with a protected ranking of 238 after a difficult injury layoff that caused her active WTA ranking to plummet outside the top 1000. In fact, by May 2026, her live ranking had slipped to 1467.

But thanks to the WTA’s protected ranking rule, which allows injured players sidelined for at least six months to enter tournaments based on their previous average ranking, the 27-year-old has earned another opportunity at the sport’s biggest stage.

How She Made The Draw

Thandi was initially listed as the 16th alternate for the Roland-Garros qualifying field.

But a series of withdrawals eventually helped Thandi rise up into the final qualifying list — opening a window of opportunity for the Indian.

A Career Interrupted By Injuries

The Delhi-born player broke into the WTA Top 200 as a teenager and climbed to a career-high ranking of 196 in August 2018.

At the time, she looked poised to become a regular feature on the international circuit. Instead, recurring injuries repeatedly stalled her progress and turned her career into a frustrating stop-start journey.

This year’s Roland-Garros will now become the fourth Grand Slam qualifying campaign of her career.

She previously featured in qualifying at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, while also competing in the US Open qualifying event in 2023.

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