Born in Jakarta, Tjen burst onto the scene less than a month ago at the 2025 US Open, winning three rounds of qualifying and shocking No. 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova in her Grand Slam main draw debut. Playing at the WTA 250 event in Sao Paulo, she knocked out No. 7 seed Leolia Jeanjena in straight sets and backed up the win with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Slovak qualifier Martina Okalova to book her spot in the last eight.
“I was focusing on every point, especially playing against Alex Eala,” Tjen said. “We all know that she can come back at any time, and I was just trying to focus and stay in it until the end.”
Waiting for her there was an in-form Eala, fresh off her first WTA 125K title run at the Guadalajara 125 Open earlier this month. The 20-year-old from the Philippines has been one of the biggest stories of the 2025 season, reaching the Miami Open semifinals with wins over Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek. She made her first WTA final three months later on grass in Eastbourne and dropped just two sets en route to the title in Guadalajara, rallying from a set down to defeat Pann Udvardy in the final.
