Indonesian tennis achieved a rare milestone at the 2025 US Open, as Janice Tjen progressed to the second round of her debut Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old, who only entered the main draw through qualifying, defeated world number 24 and tournament 25th seed Veronika Kudermetova in a dramatic three-set contest, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
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The result marked the first victory by an Indonesian female player at a Grand Slam since Angelique Widjaja’s triumph at Roland Garros in 2003.
“I still can’t believe I won on such a big stage,” Janice told WTA Tennis after her historic victory.
“I grew up watching Ashleigh Barty and trying to emulate her style of play. Now I’m standing here, facing the US Open champion, and it feels incredible. But I didn’t come here just to participate. I want to keep competing.”
Janice’s win was achieved against considerable odds. Without a world ranking as recently as May, she has climbed steadily over the past 16 months by winning 100 of her last 113 matches, lifting 13 ITF titles in the process, and is now ranked 147th in the world.
Her progression represents not only personal determination but also a significant moment for Indonesian tennis, which has lacked representation on the biggest stages of the sport for more than two decades.
“I feel proud to be able to do this for my country,” Janice said, as reported by wtatennis.com. “Hopefully, my presence here will inspire more tennis players – especially young people – to believe that they too can be here.”
Her playing style, inspired by former world number one Ashleigh Barty, combines tactical variation with aggressive intent. “I grew up watching Ashleigh Barty and trying to emulate her style of play,” Janice explained, underlining the influence of the Australian player on her development.
Raducanu Match-Up: Experience Meets Momentum
Janice’s reward for her opening-round victory is a second-round clash with Britain’s Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion. The match is scheduled for Thursday (28/8) early morning WIB on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, with Raducanu entering as the clear favourite on paper.
Raducanu, currently ranked 35th in the world, overcame Ena Shibahara convincingly in the first round, winning 6-1, 6-2. For the 22-year-old Briton, it was a performance that restored confidence after years of inconsistency since her surprise title run four years ago.
“I feel like this is my most confident performance since 2021,” Raducanu said, as quoted by The Guardian. “It took a long time to get back to this level, but I’m happy to finally be able to play freely and enjoy every shot.”
Despite the gulf in experience, Janice approaches the contest with belief. She qualified for the main draw without dropping a set and carries the momentum of her breakthrough win against Kudermetova. “I didn’t come here just to participate. I want to keep competing,” she reaffirmed.
While Raducanu is aiming to confirm her resurgence with another deep run, Janice sees every point she wins at the Arthur Ashe Stadium or elsewhere in the US Open as part of a dream gradually becoming reality.
Whether or not she progresses further, her achievements have already placed Indonesian tennis back on the global stage.
