Alex Eala once had Janice Tjen’s number in the junior ranks, winning two of their three encounters.
But that dominance seems to have slipped now that both players are competing at the professional level.
In a high-stakes showdown between Southeast Asia’s top tennis stars, the Filipina ace could not match the power and precision of rising Indonesian star Tjen, who pulled away for a straight-sets victory, 6-4, 6-1, on Saturday morning in the quarterfinals of the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil.
Both Eala and Tjen had cruised through the first two rounds, winning all their matches in straight sets.
Third-seeded Eala dismantled France’s Yasmine Masouri, 6-0, 6-2, then followed it with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Argentina’s Julia Riera.
Tjen was equally dominant, upsetting seventh seed Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-2, 6-3, before blowing out Slovak qualifier Martina Okalova, 6-1, 6-0.
It was the 23-year-old Tjen who continued her run at the Quadra Central Maria Esther Bueno court in Villa-Lobos State Park, gradually taking control of the match midway through the opening set.
Eala started strong, quickly racing to a 3-0 lead by dictating fast-paced exchanges and limiting Tjen’s ability to unleash her powerful forehands.
However, Eala failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to extend her lead.
A series of unforced errors — including a netted backhand winner — allowed Tjen to get on the scoreboard in the fourth game.
That shift not only kept the Indonesian alive, but also boosted her confidence, and she began asserting her powerful groundstrokes.
Tjen went on to win five of the next six games, claiming the first set.
The second set saw Tjen grow even stronger as Eala began to fade, showing signs of resignation.
In just 34 minutes, Tjen broke Eala’s resolve and secured the second set, ousting the third-seeded Filipina from the tournament.
Both Eala and Tjen, who won their opening-round matches at the US Open last August, have been raising the flag for Southeast Asia on the professional tennis tour.
Just last week, Eala clinched the WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In her first year as a pro after four years in US NCAA Division I tennis, Tjen has risen to 130th in the world rankings, overtaking Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who is now 131st.
Eala will now have a chance to rest after playing her ninth match since her title run in Mexico last week.
She will use the coming days to prepare for the Asian swing of the WTA Tour, which features six consecutive weeks of tournaments in South Korea, China, Japan, and Hong Kong.
