On a thrilling Monday morning (Manila time) in New York, two young Southeast Asian players carried the banner of their region onto tennis’ biggest stage.
At the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Alex Eala and Indonesian Janice Tjen punched their tickets to the second round of the US Open.
While the 20-year-old Eala braved the pressure of the Grandstand court against World No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark, her contemporary from Indonesia was carving out her own breakthrough on Court 13.
Tjen, who had to fight through the qualifiers, displayed grit to edge 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova of Russia in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Minutes later, Eala sealed her own victory, stunning Tauson in an equally dramatic fashion, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11).
For Eala, the victory was more than just a personal milestone — it was a shared triumph.
“Janice is super nice. I’ve known her for quite a long time. Growing up in the same region, we ran into each other a lot in tournaments. I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with her recently, but I know she was in college and now she’s playing pro and doing super well,” she said as they faced off in the finals of the 2018 Phinma-PSC International Junior Tennis Championship at Polo Club.
“I’m so happy for her. It’s nice to see someone you grew up with on the biggest stages in the world.”
(C) US Open
Though Eala is three years younger than Tjen, the admiration goes both ways.
“I know she has a great forehand, very good touch, but other than that, I haven’t been able to observe much,” she added.
For decades, Southeast Asia has rarely seen its players break into the upper echelons of tennis.
But with Eala and Tjen, there’s a movement.
“It’s hard to think that you’re the first to do so because this is my first time going through the journey as well,” Eala admitted. “I’m so happy to see the progress of tennis in Southeast Asia. I know that Janice also won her match today.
“I’ve known her for a long time, so I’m happy for her. And I’m happy that players from this region are coming up and starting to be successful.”
For both players, this is only the beginning.
Their victories not only propel them into the next round, but also open doors of possibility for young talents back home.
“I would say that anything is possible and to dream big,” she said. “I’m very ambitious, and although there was no one from my country who did this before or was successful in tennis, I took inspiration from anyone I could — from my family, from my brother.
“So just be ambitious, dream big, and know that you can do it.”
Filipina tennis hotshot Alex Eala (in white) finishes runner up after losing to Indonesian Janice Tjen in the Phinma-PSC International Tennis Juniors Week 2 girls finals; still a great run for 13-year-old Eala who won Week 1 of the tourney. pic.twitter.com/6jYZZTXilL
— Marc Anthony Reyes (@sportscentered) November 25, 2018
