Janice Tjen Loses at a Key Moment at the WTA Sao Paulo

SAO PAULO, SUNDAY – Janice Tjen gained valuable lessons while participating in the final of the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The final in her debut at the WTA Tour tournament will serve as a foundation for her to embark on a more challenging path.

The final between two unseeded tennis players in Sao Paulo, Sunday (14/9/2025) local time or Monday (15/9/2025) early morning Indonesia time, provided an equal opportunity for both players. Janice faced the French player born in Madagascar, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. Both advanced to the final after defeating seeded players.

Rajaonah defeated the fifth seed, Renata Zarazua, in the semifinals, while Janice eliminated three seeded players in the first round, quarterfinals, and semifinals. One of the players defeated by the 23-year-old tennis player was the Filipino star and third seed, Alexandra Eala, in the quarterfinals.

The stakes for Janice and Rajaonah during the final were the same, namely to obtain their first title from the WTA Tour tournament. The structure of the WTA Tour consists of WTA 250, 500, and 1000 levels, which are open events. There is also the WTA Finals, which features the eight best representatives throughout the year. Meanwhile, the Grand Slam represents the highest level of professional tennis competition, organized by "The Grand Slam Board."

Janice ultimately lost in that "bet." The match, lasting one hour and 26 minutes, concluded with a score of 3-6, 4-6. Rajaonah, who is 19 years old, became the first French teenage tennis player to win a WTA tournament since Oceane Dodin in 2016.

Janice, who was able to enter the WTA Tour due to her ranking rise after reaching the second round of the US Open, had a great opportunity to win the first set. She created nine break points in the first set, but only converted one.

On the other hand, Rajaonah successfully capitalized on two break points. In total, Janice only broke serve twice out of ten attempts, while Rajaonah did so four times out of eight break points.

Despite having more opportunities to steal her opponent's serve, Janice ultimately succumbed to Rajaonah's lack of solidity in crucial moments. One such moment occurred when she faced a break point in the ninth game of the first set, at 3-5 (40-30). Janice failed to anticipate a lob from Rajaonah, which sent the ball soaring and landing on the baseline.

In the second set, Janice had a chance to break her opponent's serve when trailing 3-4, but she failed to take advantage of it. Rajaonah won the match with a lob to the baseline that Janice again couldn't anticipate.

"This is a week that has made me stressed. The first round was very difficult. I did not expect to become the champion here. I do not know how to explain my feelings at this moment," said Rajaonah on the official WTA website.

The difficult match she referred to was when facing Ana Sofia Sanchez in the first round. Rajaonah was trailing 0-5 in the third set but managed to turn the match around, winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7). After that, she did not lose a set in the next four rounds. In contrast, Janice lost after consistently winning two sets in four rounds.

Nevertheless, there is always a positive aspect that Janice can take from each match. Losing points at crucial moments becomes an experience that can be carried forward to face other tournaments.

The final results of the WTA Sao Paulo have also elevated Janice's ranking from 130th in the world to 103rd. This position was achieved after she began 2025 ranked 578th in the world. If her performance continues to be solid and she can advance far in each tournament, Janice will have the opportunity to select tournaments at a higher level, such as WTA 500 and 1000, which will take place in Asia from September to October.

The peak of competition among the world's top female tennis players in Asia will take place at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, from September 24 to October 5, followed by the WTA 1000 in Wuhan from October 6 to 12. This week, from September 15 to 21, the WTA 500 Korea is being held, which will be participated in by Iga Swiatek, as well as Indonesian player Aldila Sutjiadi, after losing in the final of the WTA 500 Guadalajara in the women's doubles category.

Aldila, who partnered with Mexican tennis player Giuliana Olmos, lost to Irina Khromacheva/Nicole Melichar-Martinez with a score of 3-6, 4-6. Thus, Aldila has not been able to add to her five WTA 250 titles from a higher level.