NEW YORK – Janice Tian won her first singles victory by an Indonesian player in her first Grand Slam tournament in 22 years and advanced to the second round match against the US Open Champion, Emma Laducanu, one of her inspirations.
Tjen confused 24-seeded Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 11 minutes. She faced the 2021 US Open winner.
That made Tjen, 23, earned her position on the field and became the first player from Indonesia to play singles in major tournaments since Angeli Kwiddy Jaja at the 2004 US Open. Widjaja was also the last Indonesian to win a match in a Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003.
“When Emma won the tournament and did an incredible run here, I was actually in college and was injured at the time, so I could see a lot of tennis,” Tjen said. “Just seeing her doing it, it inspires me to do it.”
Tjen played college tennis in Oregon and finished his career with Pepperdine. There he was runner-up at the NCAA Doubles in 2024.
“In college, I always wonder if I should do that, so I don’t. And at the end I decided to give it a try and the Pepperdyne coach told me, “So I trust them and I’m here.”
Tjen entered the tournament 55-10 this year, playing a lower level match. From May to July, she won 27 consecutive ITF matches. This is a run that includes five titles.
Tjen recovered after blowing a 3-1 lead on two sets of Sunday, finishing the match with a nice backhand volley at match points and fell to a lap near the net.
Her victory came on the same day that Alexandra Eerra became the first player to represent the Philippines to win a Grand Slam match.
“We’re growing up in the same area, so we’ll meet a lot of each other in the same tournament,” Ela said of Tjen. “I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with her recently. I know she was in college. Now she’s a professional and is doing very well.
Tjen receives another attempt in the next round.
“It’s going to be – well, my first thought is that it’s going to be a huge crowd. “She’s a very famous player and I’m excited for the opportunity.”
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.
