Indonesian tennis player causes a major upset at the 2026 Australian Open

Following the losses of Alexandra Eala along with two Thai competitors, Southeast Asian tennis has at last enjoyed success at the opening Grand Slam of the year.

Janice Tjen - the Indonesian player ranked 59th in the world, caused a huge surprise by defeating former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 2-0 (6-2; 7-6) in the opening round 2026 Australian Open on the morning of January 20th, Vietnam time.

In a way, this could be called a Southeast Asian derby: Janice Tjen is Indonesian, while Leylah Fernandez is a Canadian of Filipino descent. Before the match, Fernandez, with proven credentials—5 WTA Tour titles, a Grand Slam finalist, former world No. 13, etc.—was considered superior to Tjen, a rising star since last season.

Theoretically, Fernandez also had the "tools" to counter Tjen. The left-handed Canadian could exploit her opponent’s backhand and her endurance and mobility allowed her to withstand the slicing shots from the Indonesian. However, on an off day, the 23-year-old was powerless against Tjen’s outstanding performance.

The first set showcased Tjen’s dominant play. The Southeast Asian athlete served reliably and capitalized on Fernandez’s errors, breaking serve twice to win convincingly 6-2.

In the second set, both players created many break-point opportunities. Tjen twice took the lead, but Fernandez leveled each time, forcing a tiebreak to decide the set. There, the Indonesian player completely dominated, winning 7-1 to close out the match after nearly two hours of play.

In her first main draw appearance at the Australian Open, Janice Tjen impressively advanced to round two. Her next opponent, the player who won bronze at the 33rd SEA Games last year, will be former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova - recently returned from injury but already defeated former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 2-0.

Janice Tjen is one of two Southeast Asian players remaining at this year’s Australian Open, alongside compatriot Aldila Sutjiadi competing in women’s doubles. Previously, Alexandra Eala (Philippines), Mananchaya Sawangkaew, and Lanlana Tararudee (Thailand) were eliminated in the first round of singles, while recently Pruchya Isaro, another Thai player paired with an Indian partner, narrowly lost their opening men’s doubles match.