Janice Tjen's Stunning Debut at Wimbledon 2026, Creates New History for Indonesian Tennis

Janice Tjen has made new history as Indonesia's first women's singles tennis player to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw since Angelique Widjaja in 2004. She has expressed pride at matching Angelique's landmark achievement.

Nevertheless, she confirmed that her full focus is now fixed on her upcoming match to continue her tournament run.

"Of course I'm proud to have replicated this feat right now, especially since the last time this happened was all the way back in 2004. I'm happy I pulled this off, but I have to stay completely focused for the next round," Janice stated, as quoted from SPOTV's official social media.

The 24-year-old athlete opened her 2026 Wimbledon campaign by defeating Canada's 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez in straight sets 6-1, 7-6(3) on Tuesday WIB.

This result also concludes Indonesia's over two-decade long wait to once again have a singles representative in the Wimbledon main draw.

Before Janice, Angelique was the last Indonesian singles player to compete in the Wimbledon main draw back in 2004. At that time, Angelique advanced through the qualifying rounds by winning three matches, before being eliminated in the first round by American player Meilen Tu Washington.

Janice's achievement received public appreciation from Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir. He described this milestone as a historic moment that proves Indonesian tennis is once again capable of competing at the highest global level.

"After 22 years of waiting, Indonesia has written new history at the Wimbledon Grand Slam. Janice Tjen is the first Indonesian women's singles player in 22 years to claim a victory in the Wimbledon main draw. Janice successfully defeated Leylah Fernandez in her opening match," Erick posted via his official social media account.

Erick added that this victory proves the steadily improving quality of Indonesian tennis talent, who are now able to compete against the world's elite players.

"This is an historic step, and proof that Indonesian tennis continues to develop talents that can compete on the world stage. Keep going Janice, all people of Indonesia will always stand behind you," he wrote.

Match statistics showed Janice dominated throughout the entire encounter. She hit six aces with zero double faults, produced 24 winners, and only committed 10 unforced errors.

This win over Fernandez also extended Janice's perfect head-to-head record against the opponent. The Indonesian player now holds an unbeaten 3-0 record against the 2021 US Open finalist.

Janice will face a difficult next challenge, as she is drawn against Australian player Daria Kasatkina in the second round.