Jakarta. Tennis player Janice Tjen is targeting a place in the world’s top 20 rankings in the 2026 season, buoyed by a series of strong performances on the WTA Tour this year.

“I hope next year I can break into the top 20 or top 30 and play a full WTA calendar,” Janice said in Jakarta on Saturday, as quoted by Antara.

Janice said she feels capable of competing at the WTA level, though she acknowledged that several areas of her game still require refinement. Her partnership with coach Chris Bint is not yet a year old, and she added that adjustments and improvements are still ongoing.

“I believe I can compete with top players. Even though there’s still a lot to fix, I’m sure I can keep getting better,” she said.

This year marked a turning point for Janice, who captured her first WTA singles title earlier this month at the Chennai Open, the first WTA singles trophy for Indonesia in 23 years. The achievement followed in the footsteps of Angelique Widjaja, who claimed Indonesia’s last WTA singles title at the 2002 Pattaya Open.

“I’m proud to be part of Indonesian tennis history. I didn’t expect it. I hope this achievement inspires more Indonesian players to compete at a higher level,” she said.

Beyond her top-20 ambition, Janice is also aiming to match or surpass the highest-ever singles ranking for an Indonesian player, held by Yayuk Basuki, who reached world No. 19.

“I need to stay confident. My personal target is to be the best, but now that exposure is bigger, opponents can easily study my videos and playing patterns, so it won’t be easy. I hope I can achieve it,” she said.

Janice also made history this season as the first Indonesian in two decades to reach the main draw of the US Open, the last being Widjaja in 2004. She described her match against Emma Raducanu in one of the tournament’s show courts as an unforgettable experience.

“I was nervous because she has so many fans, but I still enjoyed playing on such a big court,” she said.

On handling competitive pressure, Janice stressed the importance of consistency and trusting the training process.

“Believe in the work you’ve done. Even when tired or not winning, you must stay consistent because hard work always brings results,” she said.