MELBOURNE: Janice Tjen clocked another milestone in her rapid rise as she became the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years on Tuesday (Jan 20).
Unseeded Tjen stunned Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to surge into the second round in Melbourne and add to her growing list of scalps.
Tjen, who this time last year was ranked 413 but is now the world number 59, is the first Indonesian woman to win a match at the major since Yayuk Basuki in 1998.
The 23-year-old made a lightning start, sealing the first set in 36 minutes to leave her higher-ranked opponent from Canada reeling.
Tjen seized an early break in the second set to immediately put 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez on the back foot.
The fourth game of the second set threatened to be pivotal, Tjen digging herself out of a hole on her own serve to hold and go 3-1 up.
The 23-year-old Fernandez fought back, reeling off three games in a row to turn the tide.
The battling duo headed into a tiebreak, where Tjen powered into a 3-0 lead and never looked back, letting out a mighty roar when victory was confirmed.
Tjen enjoyed a breakthrough 2025.
She pulled off another surprise in upsetting Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova as a qualifier at the US Open.
In New York, she was the first Indonesian to play in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam since 2004.
The Jakarta native lifted the title in Chennai last year, becoming the first Indonesian to win a WTA Tour singles crown since 2002.
