When Emma Raducanu steps onto the court for her second-round match at the 2025 US Open, she’ll face a player who just made tennis history. Janice Tjen didn’t just qualify for her first Grand Slam main draw; she became the breakthrough star that Indonesian tennis has been waiting over two decades to see.
How Did Janice Tjen Make Tennis History at the 2025 US Open?
Tjen recently made history by becoming the first player from Indonesia to compete in a Grand Slam singles main draw since Angelique Widjaja did so at the US Open in 2004. The 23-year-old earned her spot by navigating a challenging qualifying tournament in New York.
Her qualifying run began with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Varvara Lepchenko in the first round. Tjen then showed resilience by overcoming Maja Chwalińska 7-5, 7-5 in a tight second-round battle. She sealed her central draw berth with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over Aoi Ito in the final qualifying round.
Indonesia’s first win in a Grand Slam main draw in 22 years! 🥹🇮🇩
Janice Tjen pulls off the upset over No.24 seed Kudermetova. pic.twitter.com/1I6ZWrJtpQ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 24, 2025
The real breakthrough came in the main draw, where Tjen faced 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the first round. In a thrilling three-set match, she triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to set up her second-round clash against Raducanu. The victory marked Indonesia’s first Grand Slam main draw win in 22 years.
What Makes Tjen’s Journey to the US Open So Remarkable?
Tjen took an unconventional path to professional tennis, playing college tennis at the University of Oregon and Pepperdine University. She graduated from Pepperdine with a degree in sociology in 2024, balancing academics with her tennis aspirations.
Since May of last year, her results have been nothing short of spectacular. Tjen has compiled a remarkable 100-13 record, claimed 13 ITF titles, and climbed to World No. 149 in the WTA rankings. This impressive run of form positioned her perfectly for her breakthrough at the US Open.
Tjen works with coach Chris Bint, who brings extensive international experience to their partnership. Bint previously served as the High Performance Director at the Lavie Tennis Academy in Auckland and was part of the LTA Midlands Regional Performance team. He began working as the National Performance Coach for Tennis New Zealand in 2023 before linking up with Tjen.
Who Is Janice Tjen’s Role Model?
Tjen has openly stated that her “role model” is former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Ashleigh Barty. She revealed that she often watches Barty’s matches and tries to emulate her playing style.
“I have been hearing that a lot. She’s, I would say, my role model. I would watch a little bit of her matches and try to copy what works for me, what’s not, and just trying to understand her game a little bit more,” Tjen said.
Away from the court, the 23-year-old shows her lighter side. In her downtime after matches, Tjen revealed that she enjoys unwinding by playing Mario Kart with her coach.
“Me and my coach have been battling with Mario Kart. We’ve been grinding on that one. I’ve been Mario Kart since I was really young and it’s [Yoshi] always my go-to character,” Tjen said.
Following her victory over Kudermetova in the first round of the 2025 US Open, Tjen became the first Indonesian woman to win a US Open main draw match since Widjaja defeated Anna Kournikova in the first round in 2002. Now she faces Raducanu with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
