Who is Janice Tjen, Alex Eala’s quarterfinals foe at the SP Open?

Alex Eala of the Philippines will face Janice Tjen of Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the SP Open in São Paulo, Brazil.

Both are among Southeast Asia’s top tennis players.

Eala is currently ranked No. 61 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), while Tjen holds the No. 130 spot.

The two also recently made history at the US Open.

Eala became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match at the US Open, defeating 14th seed Clara Tauson in the first round, 6-3, 2-6, 7(13)-6(11).

Tjen, meanwhile, pulled off an upset over 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to become the first Indonesian in 22 years to win a Grand Slam main draw match.

Both players, however, were eliminated in the second round.

The upcoming SP Open quarterfinal marks the first career meeting between Eala and Tjen.

Eala is competing in her third quarterfinal at a WTA 250-level or higher tournament this year, following impressive runs at the Miami Open in March and the Eastbourne Open in June. She is also coming off her first WTA 125 title win in Guadalajara.

Tjen, on the other hand, is making her debut in a WTA quarterfinal, becoming the first Indonesian woman to reach this stage on the WTA Tour since Angelique Widjaja in 2004.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News