Aldila/Janice Win WTA Suzhou Titles

SUZHOU, SUNDAY — Aldila Sutjiadi/Janice Tjen won the WTA 125 Suzhou tennis tournament. This title serves as a stepping stone for the two Indonesian female tennis players on their different paths.

The championship title at the tournament held at the Sungent International Tennis Center, Suzhou, China, from September 29 to October 5, 2025, was achieved after defeating Kataryzna Kawa/Makoto Ninomiya (Poland/Japan) in the final that took place on Sunday (October 5, 2025). Aldila/Janice won with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

Although the WTA 125 level is below the WTA Tour (250, 500, and 1000), the victory of Aldila/Janice marks the first for a duo of fellow Indonesian players in a WTA tournament. Before Janice had the opportunity to compete in a WTA tournament, Aldila represented Indonesia alone in the competition among female tennis players at the WTA level. Therefore, the player, who has focused on women's doubles since 2023, partnered with players from outside Indonesia.

The title won by Aldila/Janice marks the first for the Indonesian women's doubles in a span of 31 years since Yayuk Basuki/Romana Tedjakusuma triumphed at the WTA Wismilak Open tournament in 1994 in Surabaya, East Java. That tournament was a Tier IV event, equivalent to the current WTA 125. Then, from 1997 to 2008 (in 2007 and 2008 sponsored by Commonwealth Bank), it became a Tier III event (equivalent to WTA 250).

When the tournament was held until 2008, Angelique Widjaja also became a champion, specifically in 2001 (women's singles) and in 2003 in the women's doubles category alongside Venezuelan player Maria Vento-Kabchi. Additionally, there was Wynne Prakusya who reached the finals with Janet Lee (Taiwan). However, the women's doubles title in the WTA obtained by the duo of fellow Indonesian players was only achieved again in 2025 when Aldila had a fellow Indonesian player as a partner competing in the WTA.

Janice entered the WTA tournament competition after appearing on the Grand Slam stage, namely the US Open, from August 24 to September 7. Competing since the qualifying round, she defeated the 24th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, in the first round, and then faced Emma Raducanu in the second round (Janice lost). As a result, Janice received the opportunity to compete in professional tournaments at the WTA Tour level due to her rising world ranking.

Just two weeks after losing to Raducanu, she competed in the WTA 250 Sao Paulo and reached the final by defeating three seeded players. However, Janice lost to the French teenager, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.

After that, Janice embarked on a tour of Asia, one of which was her first opportunity to compete at the WTA 1000 level, namely in Beijing, China. She won two qualifying rounds but lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round. The final of this tournament featured Linda Noskova and Amanda Anisimova on Sunday (5/10/2025) evening.

Her quest for experience in the WTA tournament continued in another city in China, namely Suzhou, over the past week. The level is smaller compared to the WTA 1000 in Beijing; however, Janice gained valuable experience by partnering with her senior, Aldila, in women's doubles, ultimately becoming champions.

Janice gained additional experience by competing in the finals and learning to apply the right strategies in doubles play, although she is not unfamiliar with partnering with Aldila. They provided Indonesia with the only medal in tennis at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, which is a bronze medal.

Aldila and Janice will likely team up again at the WTA 250 Hong Kong tournament, October 27-November 2, 2025.

Janice learned to handle pressure and bounce back from mistakes. While serving in the ninth game of the first set, at 4-4, Janice made three consecutive unforced errors after leading 40-0. The Indonesian duo ultimately held serve to take a 5-4 lead and won the final game by breaking serve.

For Aldila, who entered the WTA tournament in 2019 and has only focused on playing women's doubles since 2023, partnering with Janice in Suzhou came after losing in the first round in Beijing alongside Irina Khromacheva. At the end of February 2025, Aldila/Janice also competed in an ITF tournament, namely the WTT W35, and reached the final. Janice became one of the ten players who partnered with Aldila this year, ranging from the WTA 125 level to the Grand Slam.

Aldila's father, Indriatno Sutjiadi, stated that Aldila and Janice are likely to duet again at the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong, from October 27 to November 2, 2025.

A week of experience in Suzhou will serve as a valuable asset for Janice to enhance her performance in the WTA tournament, even though she is still at a lower level. For instance, in the WTA 250, she still needs to go through the qualifying phase.

As for Aldila, her journey in 2025 was marked by ups and downs, leading her to lower the level of tournaments she participated in by competing in the ITF WTT 100 tournament in Spain in April. Aldila missed the Australian Open due to illness and only reached the second round of Wimbledon as her best result in a Grand Slam.

The final WTA Tour will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from September 8 to 14, 2025, while partnering with Giuliana Olmos. After Suzhou, Aldila will return to the WTA 1000, which will be held in Wuhan, from October 6 to 12, 2025, alongside Irina Khromacheva.

In the men's tournament, ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai, the fifth seed, Taylor Fritz, was eliminated in the third round on Sunday (5/10/2025). The American player was defeated by French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard with a score of 4-6, 5-7. Meanwhile, in the same round, Holger Rune triumphed over Ugo Humbert with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

With Fritz's elimination, the competition in the lower half of the draw should decrease. In addition to Rune, who has secured a place in the fourth round, the competition in this half leaves Jannik Sinner (2) and Novak Djokovic (4) among the top ten seeds. They will play the third round on Sunday night. (AFP)