Janice Tjen Prepares Mentally to Face Her Idol, Raducanu

When Emma Raducanu (22) won the women's singles title at the US Open in 2021, Janice Tjen (23) could only watch her in between classes in the United States. Four years later, Janice, an Indonesian tennis player, will face her idol on the same stage, Wednesday (27/8/2025) US time.

Janice will face Raducanu, the British tennis player, in the second round or the round of 64 of the US Open Grand Slam. This match is not only eagerly awaited by Janice but also by the public in her home country. Janice has captured the attention of tennis fans in Indonesia and even Asia after advancing to the second round of the US Open from the qualifiers.

Janice became the first Indonesian tennis player in 22 years to win a Grand Slam main draw match, equaling Angelique Widjaja's feat at Wimbledon in 2003. Now, Janice is looking to go one step further, having previously won three straight sets in qualifying for the 2025 US Open.

However, that ambition won't be easy, as she'll have to overcome Raducanu, a young tennis player who rocked the world in 2021. At that time, she won the US Open women's singles title after defeating fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez (Canada) in straight sets in the final. She defeated several top seeds, such as Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari, on her way to the top.

At that time, Raducanu was not favored at all. She even began her journey at the US Open through the qualifiers, the same path that Janice is currently taking. Undoubtedly, the heroic story reminiscent of a Cinderella tale is very inspiring for Janice.

"When Emma won the tournament (US Open 2021) with an impressive winning streak here, I was actually still in college. I was injured at that time, so I watched a lot of tennis matches," said Janice, who was studying Sociology at Pepperdine University, California, USA, in an interview with several journalists on Monday (25/8/2025).

Janice is eager to face Raducanu, who is more than a year younger than her. Janice acknowledged that this match will be different compared to the previous matches she has played in the 2025 US Open, including when she eliminated the 24th seed, Veronika Kudermetova (Russia), with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round.

Therefore, it's important for her to prepare mentally, including dealing with public pressure. "Against Emma, there will be a bigger crowd. She's a very well-known tennis player, and I'm very happy to have this opportunity," said Janice, who was a runner-up in the NCAA doubles championship during her college years.

Janice and Raducanu have never met before. However, based on statistics and experience, it is clear that Janice is not favored, despite Raducanu's performance not being as impressive as when she achieved a surprising victory at the US Open in 2021. Ironically, after that championship, Raducanu's career has since declined, and she has changed coaches multiple times.

Watching her (Raducanu) play (at the 2021 US Open) inspired me to do the same. - Janice Tjen -

The world-ranked 36th tennis player was even eliminated early in the first round of the US Open editions in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, he was absent due to injury. Mental health issues, injuries, and excessive expectations have repeatedly posed obstacles in his career following his victory at the US Open in 2021.

Together with her new coach, Francisco Roig, Raducanu is beginning to rebuild her confidence. Her performance in 2025 has improved. She won more WTA Tour matches this year compared to previous years, with a record of 24-17 matches. For the first time since her championship in 2021, she also achieved her first victory at the US Open after defeating Ena Shibahara (Japan), 6-1, 6-2, in the first round of the 2025 edition.

He attempts to retrace the success story of 2021 at the US Open. For him, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, the venue for the US Open, is his "happy place." Therefore, he strives to appear more relaxed, unburdened like four years ago when he was not widely known.

"I broke the barrier, I haven't won here in four years. It feels great. I'm happy to have stopped it and I feel like I can continue without thinking about it too much," said Raducanu as quoted by the BBC.

With such a new paradigm, Raducanu clearly poses a threat to Janice, who aims to advance further in the 2025 US Open and bring honor to Indonesia. However, Janice's performance graph, the world-ranked 149 tennis player, has actually surged this year. Her win-loss record for this year stands at 55-10, both in singles and doubles.

If she can maintain her resilience and mentality, as demonstrated when she lost a set in the match against Kudermetova yesterday, she will at least be able to put up a fight against Raducanu. Janice also possesses a deadly weapon, which is her varied slice shots.

The strokes have even been likened by several tennis journalists worldwide to those of Ashleigh Barty, the former world number one female tennis player from Australia. These strokes could potentially pose a challenge for Raducanu.

"Watching her (Raducanu) play (at the 2021 US Open) inspired me to be able to do something similar," said Janice, who admires Raducanu. (AP/AFP)