Unseeded Janice Tjen stuns Leylah Fernandez to win her first Australian Open match, marking Indonesia’s first victory at the major since 1998.
JANICE Tjen made history by becoming the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.
The unseeded 23-year-old stunned Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in the first round on Tuesday.
Tjen is the first Indonesian woman to win at the Melbourne major since Yayuk Basuki achieved the feat in 1998.
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She made a lightning start, sealing the first set in just 36 minutes against the 2021 US Open runner-up.
Tjen seized an early break in the second set to immediately put the higher-ranked Fernandez on the back foot.
The fourth game of the second set proved pivotal as Tjen dug herself out of a hole on her own serve to hold and lead 3-1.
Fernandez fought back strongly, reeling off three consecutive games to turn the tide.
The battling duo then headed into a tiebreak, where Tjen powered into a 3-0 lead and never looked back.
She let out a mighty roar when victory was confirmed, surging into the second round.
Tjen, now ranked 59th in the world, was ranked 413th this time last year.
She enjoyed a breakthrough 2025, which included upsetting Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova as a qualifier at the US Open.
That performance in New York made her the first Indonesian to play in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam since 2004.
The Jakarta native also lifted the title in Chennai last year, becoming the first Indonesian to win a WTA Tour singles crown since 2002. – AFP
