After 21 Years, Indonesian Tennis Player Janice Tjen Reaches the Main Draw of the US Open

NEW YORK, FRIDAY – After Angelique Widjaja lost in the first round of the 2004 US Open, Indonesia had no tennis players who could reach the main draw of a Grand Slam until Janice Tjen accomplished this 21 years later. Janice's journey, consistently participating in ITF tournaments since mid-2024, has brought her to the highest level of professional tennis competition, the Grand Slam.

Janice will face the 24th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, in the first round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Sunday (24/8/2025) local time or early Monday morning in Indonesia. The Russian tennis player she will be up against is currently ranked 26th in the world and has been competing in Grand Slam events since 2019, with her best result being a quarterfinal appearance at the 2022 French Open.

Janice will experience the main draw competition of the Grand Slam in 2025 after competing since the qualifying rounds. She is one of the 16 women's singles players who won three qualifying rounds to compete in the main draw, which will take place from August 24 to September 7, 2025.

Janice defeated the third seed in the qualifiers, Aoi Ito, with a score of 6-1, 6-2, on Friday (22/8/2025). In the first round, the 23-year-old tennis player also triumphed over seeded player Varvara Lepchenko (22), with a score of 6-3, 6-1.

Janice's victory over Ito has enabled Indonesia to have another singles tennis player competing in the main draw of a Grand Slam. Angelique, who actively competed in the professional arena from 1999 to 2008, played in the Grand Slam from 2002 to 2004.

It feels extraordinary to be the first Indonesian tennis player to compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam after more than 20 years. It means a lot to me.

Despite having two Grand Slam titles in the junior category, namely Wimbledon 2001 and the French Open 2002, Angie, as she is called, had a brief journey at a higher level due to injuries. Angie's best result in singles was the second round, while in women's and mixed doubles, the 40-year-old reached the quarter-finals.

In the same years as Angie, Indonesian tennis also had Wynne Prakusya in professional competition. Like Angie, her best achievement in the Grand Slam was the second round.

After that, there are Christopher Rungkat and Aldila Sutjiadi who are actively competing in ATP/WTA tournaments; however, they focus on doubles events due to difficulties in competing in singles. Christopher has 57 men's doubles titles from ITF and ATP tournaments and reached the second round as his best result in Grand Slam events. Meanwhile, Aldila reached the third round in women's doubles at all Grand Slam tournaments and the semifinals in mixed doubles at the 2023 French Open, 2023 Wimbledon, and 2024 US Open.

In 2025, Janice had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her seniors. "When competing, I just try to showcase my best abilities. It feels incredible to be the first Indonesian tennis player to appear in the main draw of a Grand Slam after more than 20 years. It means a lot to me," said Janice, who defeated Aito with powerful serves and forehands.

Janice has been competing in the professional arena not just in the last year or two. She entered the tough competition of professional tennis in 2018. The official website of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) notes that the player from Jakarta was absent from tennis tournaments in October 2022 and only returned to compete in June 2024.

During that period, the tennis player from Jakarta continued to compete, specifically in the NCAA. This is a sports competition for university level in the United States. Although at the collegiate level, the NCAA is known as a highly competitive sports competition. Janice, representing Pepperdine University, became a finalist in the women's doubles of the NCAA 2024 alongside Savannah Broadus.

Upon returning to the professional tournament circuit after graduating with a degree in sociology in May 2024, she won seven out of ten ITF women's singles tournaments within a span of seven months in 2024. Janice participated in W15 and W35 level tournaments.

In the structure of the ITF tournament, championships for female players consist of W15, W35, W50, W75, W100, and WTA 125, from the lowest to the highest level. For the upper levels in the WTA Tour tournament structure, the tournaments consist of WTA 250, 500, and 1000.

In 2025, in addition to continuing to compete at the W15 and W35 levels, Janice competed at higher levels, namely W50, W75, and W100. Out of 16 tournaments, she reached the finals nine times, resulting in six championship titles. Five of those six titles were won consecutively between May and June, earning Janice recognition from the ITF as the best player in the World Tour Tennis (WTT) for two consecutive months, May and June.

"Competing in tennis at the university has helped me grow as an athlete and as a person, especially in terms of mental factors. I always strive to give one hundred percent of my ability," he said.

Thanks to her ability to apply that mindset, Janice, who had no world ranking when she made her "comeback" in June 2024, is currently ranked 147th. She will bring her mindset and technical skills to the highest level she will face, the main draw of the Grand Slam.

In the competition among the world's top tennis players, female players must be wary of the presence of young stars. Despite their experience, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek cannot underestimate teenagers under the age of 20, such as Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko.

Andreeva, who is 18 years old, is the fifth seed at Flushing Meadows. This Russian tennis player won two consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments, in Dubai and Indian Wells, during February-March. The titles were achieved in hard court tournaments, the type of surface also used for the US Open.

Andreeva, who is currently ranked fifth in the world, made a surprise by reaching the semifinals of the 2024 French Open Grand Slam. Accompanied by former Spanish tennis player Conchita Martinez as her coach, Andreeva's performance on the court is more mature than her age.

The women's singles competition in 2025 sees the arrival of a new face, 18-year-old tennis player Victoria Mboko. This Canadian player became a star during her appearance at the WTA 1000 tournament in her home country, from July 27 to August 7. Mboko won the WTA Canada title after defeating three Grand Slam champions: Cori Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

Mboko is seeded 22nd in his third participation in the Grand Slam after the French Open and Wimbledon 2025. He could meet Andreeva if both advance to the fourth round.

If they can advance further, one of them could become an opponent for the world number one tennis player and defending champion, Sabalenka. Sabalenka has never faced Mboko, but she has encountered Andreeva six times. She leads 4-2 in their encounters, but lost in their most recent meeting in the WTA Indian Wells final.

Sabalenka, who will begin her appearance on the first day of the tournament, has the best winning percentage (83.3 percent) this year, with 50 wins and ten losses. The Belarusian player reached the finals seven times but lost four of them. In the WTA 1000 Cincinnati warm-up tournament for the US Open, her performance was not as good, as she was eliminated in the quarterfinals after being defeated by Rybakina with a score of 1-6, 4-6.

"Aryna must overcome her nervousness at the last Grand Slam of the year. We will see if her mentality is strong after several losses in the finals. If she can play well, she can defend her title," commented former US tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez, who is a commentator for ESPN.

Swiatek, who is the second seed, has positive momentum after winning the WTA 1000 Cincinnati, leading Fernandez to label her as the favorite to win. "Since Wimbledon, she has returned to her best form. The way she moves and executes her shots is very different," said Fernandez.

Unlike previous years when Swiatek performed at her best in the first six months, she played better after passing the first semester of 2025. The Polish tennis player only reached the final within a year after winning the 2024 French Open.

Since the third week of June, Swiatek has reached the finals three times out of four tournaments, winning titles at Wimbledon and WTA Cincinnati. She claimed victory in her first final at both tournaments.

In the men's singles competition, Carlos Alcaraz is in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz, who is the second seed, and Djokovic (7) could meet in the semifinals of the lower half.

In the upper half, the world number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, will face competition from Alexander Zverev (3), Jack Draper (5), and Alex de Minaur. Sinner and Zverev will compete after having played in the ATP Masters Cincinnati while not fully fit. Sinner even withdrew in the first set against Alcaraz in the final. Following that, he decided not to compete in the mixed doubles event at the US Open alongside Katerina Siniakova. (REUTERS/AP)