Janice Tjen reaches Chennai Open semifinals as tennis stirs interest in Indonesia

Janice Tjen reached the semifinals of the WTA 250 Chennai Open in Chennai on Friday. She defeated Russian-born Uzbek Polina Kudermetova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to secure the top seed’s place in the last four.

Indonesia, a country that lives and breathes badminton, is once again warming up to the sport with the heavier racquet, and Tjen’s rise is a major reason behind that. She had started the 2025 season outside the Top 400 in the WTA Rankings but by the end, she was World No. 56. Along the way she ended a 22-year wait for a win for an Indonesian woman at a Grand Slam during the US Open, finished runner-up at a WTA 250 in Sao Paulo and won her maiden Tour-level title at the Chennai Open. The 24-year-old, who achieved a career-high of 35 in August, is back in the city to defend her crown and is currently ranked 75th.

Unlike last year, where Tjen dominated the ITF circuit, this season has been all about getting used to playing regularly on the WTA Tour where the level is much higher. “This year, I learned so much. Everyone has a lot of expectations of how well they want to do and it’s normal to be like that as a tennis player,” reflected Tjen, who had a 16-28 win-loss record on the WTA Tour before arriving in Chennai. “It’s an important trait to have and just learning how to be able to bounce back, doing things one at a time and realising that this year, the competition has been way higher for me.”

Last week Tjen partnered with Venus Williams in doubles and reached the Guangzhou Open semifinals, with the 46-year-old American legend calling it “her best partnership of the year.” “With someone like Venus, there’s so much you can learn.It’s nice to hear what she said about our partnership and she’s a great player with a lot of experience,” said Tjen.

Tjen’s profile has had visible effects at home: “Booking tennis courts (in Indonesia) is a bit tough now.” Her results on both singles and doubles courts have been cited as a catalyst for growing interest in Indonesian tennis.

Tjen will now contest the Chennai Open semifinal as she seeks to defend her title.