Chennai, Nov 7:
Top-seeded defending champion Janice Tjen rallied from a set down to defeat Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday, booking her place in the semifinals of the Chennai Open 2026.
The 24-year-old Indonesian, currently ranked 75th in the world, has enjoyed a remarkable climb over the past year after starting 2025 outside the top 400 and peaking at a career-high World No. 35 in August. Speaking on her transition from the ITF circuit to the WTA Tour, Tjen said: “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. 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.”
Tjen arrived in Chennai following a semifinal run alongside American veteran Venus Williams in the doubles draw at the Guangzhou Open. In the singles semifinals, Tjen will square off against either local wild card entrant Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi or American Robin Montgomery.