Australian Open 2026: Janice Tjen Shocks 22nd Seed Leylah Fernandez in Opening Round

MELBOURNE – In a historic performance at Melbourne Park, Indonesia’s Janice Tjen stunned 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez in the opening round of the 2026 Australian Open, securing a straight-sets victory, 6-2, 7-6(1).

The victory marks a significant milestone for Indonesian tennis, as Tjen becomes the first Indonesian woman to win a main draw match at the Australian Open since Yayuk Basuki reached the fourth round in 1998.

A Dominant Start and a Nerve-Wracking Finish

Janice Tjen Australian Open 2026 — Janice Tjen became the first Indonesian woman to win a round at the Australian Open since 1998.

Tjen, a former standout at Pepperdine University, came into the match as the underdog against the Canadian left-hander but quickly asserted her dominance. She took the first set decisively, 6-2, utilizing a potent serve that clocked as fast as 184 km/h—significantly outpacing Fernandez’s top speed of 170 km/h.

The second set proved to be a grittier contest. Tjen seemed poised to close out the match comfortably when serving for victory at 5-4, but the 2021 US Open runner-up refused to go quietly. Fernandez capitalized on a series of errors from the Indonesian to break back, leveling the set at 5-5.

Fernandez then held serve to take a 6-5 lead, piling pressure on Tjen to stay in the match. Tjen responded with composure, holding her service game to force a tiebreak.

In the deciding tiebreak, Tjen found another gear. She raced to a commanding lead, punishing Fernandez with deep groundstrokes and capitalizing on Fernandez’s errors. Tjen surrendered only a single point in the breaker, sealing the upset with a dominant 7-1 finish.

Key Statistics

Tjen’s aggression was the difference-maker. While both players had similar unforced error counts (27 for Tjen, 28 for Fernandez), Tjen was more clinical on the big points.

Break Points: Tjen converted 57% (4/7) of her break opportunities, compared to just 25% (2/8) for Fernandez.
Serve Dominance: Tjen won 74% of her first-serve points, significantly higher than Fernandez’s 56%.
Total Points: Tjen won 76 total points to Fernandez’s 63, reflecting her control over the match’s tempo.

Making History

This win continues a meteoric rise for Tjen, who broke into the WTA top 100 late in 2025. By matching the feat of Yayuk Basuki from 28 years ago, Tjen has firmly established herself as the new face of Indonesian tennis on the global stage.

Tjen will look to carry this momentum into the Round of 64 as she aims to deepen her run at the season’s first Grand Slam.

The Tiebreak Collapse: Point-by-Point Analysis

The 7-1 tiebreak scoreline reflects a complete dominance by Tjen and a simultaneous collapse of Fernandez’s defensive game under pressure. Fernandez committed four errors in just eight points, while Tjen struck three outright winners.

The Breakdown:

1-0 (Tjen): Tjen opens the decider aggressively, striking a Forehand Winner to take the early lead.
2-0 (Tjen): Fernandez cracks first on defense, committing a Backhand Forced Error.
3-0 (Tjen): Tjen widens the gap with a clean Backhand Winner, putting Fernandez in a deep hole early.
3-1 (Tjen): A rare misstep from Tjen gives Fernandez her only point of the tiebreak via a Forehand Unforced Error.
4-1 (Tjen): The pressure mounts, and Fernandez’s serve fails her; she commits a Double Fault, handing the momentum back to Tjen.
5-1 (Tjen): Tjen seizes the opportunity and fires an Ace, moving within two points of victory.
6-1 (Tjen): Fernandez, scrambling to stay alive, commits a Forehand Forced Error, giving Tjen multiple match points.
7-1 (Game): Tjen seals the match as Fernandez sends a Backhand Forced Error wide or long.

Tactical Analysis: Where Fernandez Broke Down

The stats from this tiebreak reveal why the match ended so abruptly:

Defensive Breakdown: Fernandez made 3 Forced Errors (2 Backhand, 1 Forehand) in a span of just 8 points. This indicates Tjen was dictating play, forcing Fernandez into uncomfortable positions where she couldn’t control her returns.
Service Struggle: The Double Fault at 1-3 was a critical mental error. Instead of closing the gap to 2-3, Fernandez gifted Tjen a 4-1 lead, effectively putting the tiebreak out of reach.
Lack of Firepower: Fernandez hit 0 Winners in the tiebreak. In contrast, Tjen hit 3 Winners (Forehand, Backhand, and Ace), showing that Tjen was playing to win while Fernandez was playing not to lose.