Janice Tjen is back on the U.S. Open stage, one year after announcing herself to the wider tennis world with a breakthrough run in New York.
The 24-year-old Indonesian is facing fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the first round of the 2026 U.S. Open, a matchup that has triggered growing interest around Tjen as tennis fans search to learn more about one of the fastest-rising players to emerge from Indonesia in years.
Tjen enters the tournament as a considerably different player from the one who arrived in New York in 2025.
Last year, she had to qualify for the main draw before stunning seeded opponent Veronika Kudermetova for her first Grand Slam victory.
Since then, Tjen has won her first WTA singles title, collected multiple doubles trophies and climbed dramatically through the rankings.
She is now ranked around the world’s Top 35.
Her opponent, Andreeva, is one of the biggest young stars in women’s tennis, making their opening-round meeting one of Tjen’s most significant tests of the season.
But Tjen’s story stretches well beyond one match.
Her unusual route from Indonesia to American college tennis and eventually the WTA Tour provides an example of how a player can reach professional tennis without following the traditional junior-to-pro pathway.
Janice Tjen Faces Mirra Andreeva at U.S. Open
Tjen was drawn against No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.
The match is scheduled for Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Andreeva entered as the clear favorite based on ranking and Grand Slam experience, but the two players are already familiar with each other’s games.
They recently met in Cincinnati.
Andreeva won that match 6-1, 7-6, but the second set was significantly more competitive than the first.
Tjen forced the set into a tiebreak before Andreeva eventually closed out the victory.
Their U.S. Open meeting therefore gives the Indonesian another opportunity to test herself against one of the leading players in women’s tennis.
Regardless of the result, simply reaching this matchup represents an enormous change from where Tjen’s career stood only a few years ago.
Who Is Janice Tjen?
Janice Tjen is an Indonesian professional tennis player born on May 6, 2002, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
She is 24 years old.
Tjen plays right-handed and stands approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall.
She has rapidly climbed the WTA rankings following an extraordinary transition from American college tennis to the professional circuit.
As of the 2026 U.S. Open period, Tjen has reached approximately No. 35 in the WTA singles rankings, the highest position of her career.
That ranking makes her one of the highest-ranked Indonesian women’s tennis players in modern history.
Only former world No. 19 Yayuk Basuki has reached considerably greater heights among Indonesian women.
What makes Tjen’s rise especially remarkable is how recently she was nowhere near the upper levels of professional tennis.
She completed her American college career only in 2024.
Within roughly two years, she went from college competition and lower-level professional events to facing the world’s leading players at Grand Slam tournaments.
Janice Tjen Started Playing Tennis Almost by Accident
Unlike many elite players who are placed into structured tennis programs almost as soon as they can hold a racket, Tjen’s introduction to the sport was less planned.
She grew up in Jakarta.
Her friend Priska Madelyn Nugroho, who would become one of Indonesia’s leading junior players, encouraged Tjen to try tennis.
That suggestion eventually changed the direction of her life.
Tjen developed through Indonesia’s junior system and enjoyed success nationally.
In 2019, she dominated portions of the Indonesian junior circuit, winning nine titles.
She also won the girls’ singles gold medal at the 2019 ASEAN School Games in Semarang and earned silver in doubles.
But her junior career did not immediately suggest that she was destined to become a Top 50 professional.
Tjen peaked at approximately No. 93 in the junior rankings.
For many aspiring professionals, failing to reach the very top of the junior game can make the transition to professional tennis especially difficult.
Tjen found another route.
Why Janice Tjen Chose U.S. College Tennis
Money played an important role in Tjen’s career decisions.
Professional tennis is expensive.
Players outside the highest levels must finance travel, accommodation, coaching, equipment and tournament expenses while often earning relatively little prize money.
Tjen has spoken openly about those financial challenges.
Rather than immediately attempting to travel full-time on the professional circuit, she and her family chose the American college system.
It allowed her to continue developing as a tennis player while receiving an education and avoiding some of the financial burden associated with immediately turning professional.
Tjen initially attended the University of Oregon.
She later transferred to Pepperdine University in California.
The decision became critical to her development.
Pepperdine Helped Transform Tjen’s Career
At Pepperdine, Tjen developed into one of the strongest players in American college tennis.
She completed her collegiate career in 2024.
By that stage, she was ranked No. 1 nationally in doubles and No. 35 in singles in the ITA rankings.
She also earned a sociology degree.
But even as graduation approached, Tjen was uncertain whether professional tennis was the right next step.
Her coaches believed she had the ability.
They encouraged her to give the professional game a serious attempt for at least two years.
Tjen trusted them.
The results came much faster than almost anyone could have expected.
From College Graduate to Professional Breakthrough
Tjen began attacking the professional circuit after college.
Her rise was remarkable.
During 2024, she won seven ITF singles titles and two doubles titles.
At one stage, she put together two separate 15-match winning streaks.
Then came 2025.
Tjen produced an extraordinary season on the ITF World Tennis Tour, winning match after match while steadily climbing the rankings.
Across the year, she recorded 77 victories against only 15 defeats and collected eight titles from May onward.
Her ranking accelerated accordingly.
A player who had been outside the mainstream WTA conversation was suddenly approaching Grand Slam level.
Then came the 2025 U.S. Open.
Tjen’s 2025 U.S. Open Run Put Her on the Map
Tjen arrived in New York needing to qualify for the main draw.
She succeeded.
That alone represented a major achievement.
It made her the first Indonesian woman in years to compete in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam.
But Tjen wasn’t satisfied simply to participate.
Her first-round opponent was Veronika Kudermetova, then ranked inside the world’s Top 30.
Tjen had never previously faced a Top 50 opponent.
She won.
Tjen defeated Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, producing one of the notable first-round upsets of the tournament.
The victory carried considerable historical significance for Indonesian tennis.
Tjen became the first Indonesian woman to win a Grand Slam singles match in more than two decades.
She was also the first Indonesian woman to win a U.S. Open main-draw match since Angelique Widjaja in 2002.
Her run ended in the second round against Emma Raducanu.
But by then, people were paying attention.
Janice Tjen Made Indonesian Tennis History Again in Chennai
The U.S. Open breakthrough was only part of Tjen’s remarkable 2025 season.
She reached her first WTA Tour singles final in São Paulo.
Although she lost the championship match, the result demonstrated that her performances at the U.S. Open were not simply a one-tournament surprise.
Then came the Chennai Open.
Tjen reached another final.
This time, she won it.
She defeated Kimberly Birrell to claim her first WTA Tour singles championship.
The victory made Tjen the first Indonesian woman in 23 years to win a WTA singles title.
Angelique Widjaja had been the previous Indonesian woman to accomplish the feat, winning Pattaya City in 2002.
For a country that had waited more than two decades for another WTA singles champion, Tjen’s breakthrough was significant.
And her weekend in Chennai became even better.
She also won the doubles title alongside fellow Indonesian Aldila Sutjiadi.
Her Ranking Rise Has Been Extraordinary
Perhaps the clearest way to understand Tjen’s development is through her ranking.
At one point in 2024, she was ranked outside the world’s Top 500.
By the end of 2025, she had climbed to approximately No. 53.
Her progress continued into 2026.
Tjen has since reached around No. 35 in the world, establishing another career high.
That means she has gone from college tennis to the edge of Grand Slam seeding territory in an exceptionally short period.
The transformation has changed the tournaments she can enter.
Instead of depending heavily on qualifying events and wild cards, her ranking increasingly provides direct access to the biggest competitions on the WTA calendar.
It has also changed the caliber of opponent she encounters regularly.
Players such as Andreeva are no longer distant names on television.
They are across the net.
Who Coaches Janice Tjen?
An important figure in Tjen’s professional rise has been coach Chris Bint.
Tjen has credited the partnership with helping her better understand her identity as a player and improve the professional side of her career.
Bint previously worked within Tennis New Zealand’s performance program.
The two connected as Tjen was beginning her transition into full-time professional tennis.
After an initial trial period, they began working together more permanently.
Tjen has said finding a coach whose values matched her own had previously been difficult.
The partnership coincided with the fastest rise of her career.
Bint has similarly praised Tjen’s professionalism, willingness to learn and ability to focus on improving her strengths rather than becoming distracted by rankings.
That mentality became particularly valuable as her ranking began moving upward at an extraordinary speed.
Aldila Sutjiadi Has Also Helped Guide Tjen
Tjen has another important connection within Indonesian tennis.
She is close to established Indonesian doubles player Aldila Sutjiadi.
Tjen has described Sutjiadi as being like an older sister.
The relationship has provided guidance as Tjen has adjusted to the realities of professional tennis, including constant international travel and the routines required at major tournaments.
The two have also competed together.
Their partnership produced the Chennai doubles title in 2025.
For Tjen, having another Indonesian player already familiar with life on the professional circuit has provided support during a period when her career has changed extremely quickly.
Tjen Wants to Inspire Young Indonesian Players
Tjen has repeatedly spoken about what her success means for Indonesian tennis.
The country has produced successful players before.
Yayuk Basuki reached No. 19 in the world and remains the benchmark for Indonesian women’s singles tennis.
Angelique Widjaja also enjoyed significant success during the early 2000s.
But Indonesia had experienced a long gap without a woman consistently appearing at the upper levels of Grand Slam singles competition.
Tjen’s rise has begun changing that.
Following her breakthrough at the 2025 U.S. Open, she spoke about hoping that seeing an Indonesian player succeed on that stage would encourage younger players to believe they could do the same.
Her Chennai title strengthened that message.
And her continued rise toward the Top 30 has made the possibility increasingly tangible.
Janice Tjen’s Life Away From Tennis
Tjen’s competitive personality does not disappear when she leaves the tennis court.
She has revealed that she enjoys playing Mario Kart during her downtime.
Her preferred character is Yoshi.
She and her coach have even developed their own competitive Mario Kart battles while traveling.
It is a small detail compared with the ranking points, Grand Slam matches and professional titles surrounding her career, but it provides a glimpse of the person behind the rapid rise.
Only a few years ago, Tjen was completing sociology coursework while playing college tennis.
Now she travels internationally as one of Indonesia’s leading professional athletes.
That transition has happened extremely quickly.
Why the Mirra Andreeva Match Matters
Tjen’s U.S. Open matchup with Andreeva represents another measurement of how far she has progressed.
Andreeva is younger than Tjen but has already established herself among the world’s elite.
The Russian entered the U.S. Open as the No. 5 seed.
Tjen, meanwhile, is still experiencing many of these elite matchups for the first time.
Their Cincinnati encounter showed the gap is not necessarily insurmountable.
After losing the first set 6-1, Tjen pushed Andreeva into a second-set tiebreak before the favorite eventually completed the victory.
The U.S. Open provides another opportunity.
A Tjen victory would represent one of the biggest wins of her career.
A defeat would not erase the enormous progress she has made.
Either way, the fact that this matchup now feels worth watching demonstrates how quickly perceptions around Tjen have changed.
From No. 500 to the Grand Slam Spotlight
Janice Tjen’s rise challenges the idea that every future professional tennis star must be obvious as a teenager.
She was not a dominant international junior.
She did not immediately turn professional.
She did not have unlimited resources available to finance years of international travel.
Instead, Tjen chose college.
She studied sociology.
She developed her game at Oregon and Pepperdine.
She listened when her coaches told her she was good enough to try professional tennis.
Then she started winning.
Seven ITF singles titles became more.
A Grand Slam qualifying appearance became a historic U.S. Open victory.
A WTA final became a WTA championship.
A ranking outside the Top 500 became a place around the world’s Top 35.
Now she is back in New York, this time facing one of the top seeds rather than arriving as an unknown qualifier.
The outcome against Mirra Andreeva will determine how long Tjen’s 2026 U.S. Open run lasts.
But the larger story has already changed.
Janice Tjen is no longer simply an Indonesian college graduate trying to see whether professional tennis might work out.
She has become one of the leading players in her country’s modern tennis history and a name increasingly capable of drawing attention on the sport’s biggest stages.
Disclaimer
This article is based on official WTA and ITF biographical information, tournament records and credible tennis reporting available at the time of publication. Janice Tjen’s U.S. Open match against Mirra Andreeva had not produced a confirmed final result when this article was prepared.
Rankings, tournament results and match status may change as the 2026 U.S. Open progresses. This article may be updated when additional verified information or an official final result becomes available.