India’s former No.1 Karman Kaur Thandi endured a difficult return to Grand Slams, crashing out of the French Open qualifiers on Tuesday, May 19. The 27-year-old was comprehensively outplayed as France’s Harmony Tan secured a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win in just 48 minutes during the opening round of qualifying.
Thandi, entering the clay-court major using a protected ranking, struggled to find any rhythm against Tan, who is best known for her upset win over Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2022. Tan now advances to face the winner of Darja Vidmanova vs Xinyu Gao in the next qualifying round.
Tan controlled the contest as Thandi struggled on both serve and return throughout the match. Tan converted five of her eight break point opportunities, while Thandi failed to convert her only chance. First-serve consistency proved decisive, with Tan holding a clear advantage in accuracy and using it to dictate her service games.
TAN DOMINATES THANDI
Thandi endured a tough match as she struggled to settle into rhythm against Tan from the outset. Tan dictated play early with deep, accurate returns and steady baseline consistency, repeatedly drawing errors from both wings and preventing Thandi from building any momentum.
In the opening exchanges, Thandi was frequently pushed behind the baseline and gave away several free points through unforced errors. While she showed brief resistance with a few sharp winners and competitive rallies, she could not maintain that level under sustained pressure. Even when she managed to reach deuce or advantage positions on serve, Tan’s composure in longer exchanges forced her back into mistakes.
Thandi’s backhand proved particularly vulnerable, breaking down under pressure and contributing to a steady flow of forced and unforced errors. Her first-serve percentage also remained inconsistent, limiting her ability to hold serve comfortably or apply scoreboard pressure. Tan, in contrast, remained disciplined and efficient, consistently capitalising on short balls and weak returns to stay in control of rallies.
THANDI SLUMPS TO HEAVY DEFEAT
As the match progressed into the second set, the pattern only intensified. Thandi continued to struggle with timing and shot selection, while her error count increased at crucial stages. Tan maintained control through solid serving and sharp returning, including strong first-serve efficiency and timely aggressive play that kept Thandi on the defensive.
Despite occasional flashes of fight, Thandi was unable to sustain any meaningful momentum. The combination of inconsistent serving, rising unforced errors, and Tan’s relentless pressure ensured a one-sided contest that closed out in dominant fashion, with Tan firmly in command throughout.
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