Janice Tjen, the young Indonesian sensation, booked her semifinal ticket at the SP Open in Sao Paulo after demolishing Alex Eala 6-4, 6-1.

Tjen Makes History For Indonesia

Janice Tjen Shocks Alex Eala to Reach Sao Paulo Open Janice Tjen Shocks Alex Eala to Reach Sao Paulo Open
WTA

Tjen's triumph was a turning point in her career, as she became the first Indonesian female player to make it to a WTA quarterfinal since Angelique Widjaja back in 2004. The 23-year-old player proved that she had superior skills and nerves of steel on court by taking down the World No. 61 Filipina.

"It still feels unbelievable to me. It hasn't hit yet. All I can say is I'm pretty happy with how I played today."

Qualifying for WTA Glory

Only weeks before her stunning performance in Sao Paulo, Tjen caused a significant splash at the 2025 US Open. She stunned the tennis world in qualifying for three rounds and upsetting No. 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova in her maiden Grand Slam main draw.

Tjen showed no signs of slowing in Sao Paulo, taking down No. 7 seed Leolia Jeanjena in straight sets before scoring an authoritative 6-1, 6-0 win over Slovak qualifier Martina Okalova to reach the quarterfinals.

Tjen knows that Eala can bounce back anytime. She admitted that she was focused all along until the match ended.

Alexandra Eala Couldn't Pull a Comeback

Though having a good start, holding a 2-0 lead in the match, Eala was unable to put the brakes on Tjen's charge, Tennis.com reports. Tjen came back to take 12 of the last 14 games and booked her place in the semifinals in one hour and 12 minutes.

Eala, 20, has been one of the darkhorses in 2025. Following her first WTA 125K championship win at the Guadalajara 125 Open last month, she reached a deep run in the Miami Open as well, upending established top players such as Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek.

She also secured her first WTA final in Eastbourne and won the Guadalajara title with a heroic comeback in the final.

Eala held serve to move ahead 4-3, but Tjen answered with a three-game run to seal the opening set.

Janice Tjen now meets either No. 2 seed Solana Sierra or No. 6 seed Francesca Jones in the chase for her maiden WTA final. Both opponents made it to the quarterfinals with straight-set wins.