Who is Janice Tjen, the US Open Grand Slam Surprise Maker?

Who inspired Janice Tjen in her performance at the 2025 US Open?

Janice has become one of the Southeast Asian tennis players to win the first round of the 2025 US Open by defeating a seeded player. Alexandra Eala, a Filipino player making her third appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam, eliminated the 14th seed, Clara Tauson, with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11).

Before defeating Veronika Kudermetova in the first round, Janice made a notable mark in her career in professional tennis and for Indonesian tennis. Three victories in the qualifying rounds made the 23-year-old player the first Indonesian tennis player to advance to the main draw of a Grand Slam since Angelique Widjaja at the 2004 US Open.

The world-ranked athlete at 149 also has a fairly good percentage in net shots. From 30 attempts at net shots against Kudermetova, she scored 20 points (67 percent), including during the match point moment. At the press conference, Janice stated that she always discusses and practices playing close to the net to secure the final points.

In an interview following her victory over Kudermetova, Janice revealed several tennis players who inspired her to pursue the sport. "I play tennis because I am inspired by my friend who is also a tennis player, Priska Madelyn Nugroho. We are not only friends on the court but also off the court. She asked me if I wanted to play tennis," said the alumnus of Pepperdine University, California, USA.

Janice's playing style is often compared to Ashleigh Barty, the former world number one women's tennis player. "Many people compare my game to Barty's, especially in the variety of shots with the slice," Janice said.

"I idolize him and try to imitate some of his strokes that suit me and those that do not, as well as trying to understand his game. I have been trying to play like that for a long time, and the coaches at the university have helped develop it," he later stated.

How did Janice Tjen make history for Indonesia at the US Open?

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 became one of the 16 women's singles players who won three qualifying rounds to compete in the main round taking 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 defeated the 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.

Janice's achievements do not stop there. In the first phase of the main round, she made a significant surprise by defeating the world-ranked 26th player, who was the 24th seed at the US Open 2-25, Veronika Kudermetova (Russia), with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. She also became the first Indonesian player in 22 years to win a match in the main round of a Grand Slam.

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. Upon returning to professional tournaments 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.

What has Janice Tjen prepared to face Emma Raducanu in the second round of the US Open?

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 all three matches in qualifying for the 2025 US Open in straight sets.

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 can't wait to face Raducanu, who is a year younger than her.