The tennis world has a new rising star in Janice Tjen, the 23-year-old Indonesian who has made history by breaking into the WTA Top 50. Ranked No. 47, Tjen becomes only the second Indonesian woman to reach this level since Yayuk Basuki, who last appeared in the Top 50 in 1998. Her achievement signals a major milestone for Indonesian tennis and a resurgence on the global stage.
Tjen’s ascent was fueled by a standout performance at the Australian Open, where she scored a career-defining first-round victory over No. 23 Leylah Fernandez. This win also made her the first Indonesian woman to claim a main-draw match in Melbourne since Basuki in 1998. Though she fell in the second round to former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, the points gained propelled her 12 spots up the rankings.
Her rise has been marked by a string of historic milestones over the past year. At the 2025 US Open, she became the first Indonesian woman to win a main-draw match at a Grand Slam since Angelique Widjaja in 2003. She entered the WTA Top 100 in October, the first Indonesian to do so in nearly two decades, and captured her maiden WTA title at the Chennai Open in November. That victory made her the first Indonesian tour-level champion since 2002 and pushed her ranking to No. 53, surpassing Widjaja’s career-high of No. 55.
Currently competing at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi, Janice Tjen’s historic Top 50 debut confirms her as one of Indonesia’s brightest tennis talents. Fans worldwide will be watching closely to see how far this rising star can climb in the months ahead.
