Jakarta. Indonesian rising star Janice Tjen has reached a new milestone in her professional career after climbing to World No. 36 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday. The rise marks a 10-place jump from her previous position at No. 46 and stands as the highest ranking of her career to date.

Her surge up the rankings follows a strong run during the Middle East swing. Janice began her campaign at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, where she defeated Australia’s Maya Joint in the opening round before falling to fifth seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. She also impressed in doubles, advancing to the semifinals alongside Alexandra Eala.

She carried that momentum into the Qatar Total Energies Open, producing a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia. Although her run ended in the second round against top seed Iga Swiatek, the win significantly boosted her ranking points and confidence against top-tier opposition.

Janice’s biggest breakthrough of the swing came at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Competing as a wildcard, she advanced to the Round of 16 in the WTA 1000 event, securing her fourth career Top 30 victory by defeating Canadian star Leylah Fernandez. It was her second win over Fernandez this season, following their earlier encounter in the first round of the Australian Open.

Earlier this year, Janice also recorded her first Grand Slam main-draw victory at the Australian Open, becoming the first Indonesian to win a main-draw match in Melbourne since Yayuk Basuki reached the fourth round in 1998. The achievement underlined her growing presence on the WTA Tour and signaled a new chapter for Indonesian women’s tennis.

Now firmly inside the world’s Top 40, Janice continues to close in on Indonesia’s all-time record held by Yayuk Basuki, who peaked at No. 19 in 1997 — the highest ranking ever achieved by an Indonesian player in the WTA era. 

Following her Middle East campaign, Janice is set to compete at the Merida Open in Mexico as the sixth seed, where she will open against Camila Osorio. She will also compete in doubles alongside Katarzyna Piter, continuing the strong early-season momentum that has propelled her to a career-high ranking.