Tjen claims Chennai sweep in Indonesian breakthrough
In the sweltering heat of Chennai, Janice Tjen transformed a season of near-misses into a defining moment, capturing her maiden WTA singles title and a doubles crown to etch her name into her nation’s tennis legacy.
Under the humid skies of the Chennai Open, Janice Tjen delivered a breakthrough victory on Sunday, defeating Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3 to secure her first WTA singles title. This WTA 250 triumph marked the first such achievement for an Indonesian player in 23 years, echoing the legacy of Angelique Widjaja’s last win in Pattaya City back in 2002. The 23-year-old, a former Pepperdine standout, capped a remarkable season by also partnering with Aldila Sutjiadi to claim the doubles crown, upsetting top seeds Storm Hunter and Monica Niculescu 7-5, 6-4.
Building momentum through gritty exchanges
The final unfolded on Chennai’s pacey hard courts, where Tjen’s baseline precision clashed with Birrell’s resilient defense. A grueling 13-deuce fourth game propelled her to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, her deep crosscourt forehands forcing errors as the crowd’s energy built with each prolonged rally. Birrell, fresh off a semifinal comeback from 5-0 down against Joanna Garland, leveled at 3-3 with sharp down-the-line passes, but Tjen shifted gears, unleashing a one–two pattern of wide serves followed by inside-out backhands to claim seven of the next eight games and forge a 6-3, 4-0 advantage.
Her season’s arc—from outside the top 500 last November to a 77-15 singles record—fueled this surge, including finals at every ITF level with six titles and her inaugural WTA 125 victory. This Chennai run vaults her to world No. 53 in Monday’s PIF WTA Rankings, eclipsing Widjaja’s career-high of No. 55 and trailing only Yayuk Basuki’s peak at No. 19 among Indonesians. For a glimpse into her path, the scores, draws, and order of play capture the mounting intensity.
“I think I played better every round ... and today, I got to play some of my best tennis,” Tjen reflected post-match. “She’s very gritty. We saw from the first round that she can come back any time. ... She’s a very experienced player, so it’s never easy to play someone like Kim. I’m glad to be able to win today.”
Staving off Birrell’s fierce rally
Birrell refused to fade, stringing together three consecutive games in the second set with clever underspin slices that slowed the tempo and opened angles for her crosscourt winners, even pressuring Tjen to a break point at 4-4. The Australian’s tenacity, honed in her second career final, thickened the air with tension as the humid conditions sapped energy from both sides. Tjen regrouped by varying her shots—mixing heavy topspin to the backhand with occasional inside-in forehands—leveraging the court’s speed to stretch her opponent wide and seal the 6-3 finish without further wobbles.
This mental fortitude, built through a year of escalating stakes, turned potential peril into poise, her Pepperdine-honed footwork steady amid the crowd’s rising murmurs. Birrell’s experience kept exchanges alive, but Tjen’s adjustments disrupted patterns, preserving her serve and channeling the psychological edge of national expectation into focused aggression.
Crowning a doubles upset for full sweep
Later that day, Tjen and Sutjiadi, as No. 2 seeds, executed a tactical masterstroke against the top-seeded duo, using synchronized returns and net poaching to navigate tight holds in a 7-5, 6-4 doubles victory. The pair’s synergy overwhelmed Hunter and Niculescu’s volleying, turning defensive lobs into offensive opportunities on the same demanding surface. This sweep makes Tjen the third player this season to claim both titles at an event, following Jasmine Paolini in Rome and Maya Joint in Rabat, amplifying her historic imprint.
Chennai’s hard courts tested her adaptation to faster paces and fiercer rivalries, yet her composure under pressure signals readiness for top-50 battles ahead. As Indonesian tennis awakens to this new chapter, Tjen’s weekend of triumphs propels her forward, blending tactical maturity with the fire of untapped potential.
