Tjen rises to No.35 under Bint

Janice Tjen reached world No.35 after winning a WTA title and a US Open main-draw match, with coach Chris Bint guiding her through a 45-week season.

Janice

Tjen’s breakthrough at the US Open Janice Tjen, formerly ranked outside the world’s top 140, entered the 2026 US Open as a qualifier. She won three qualifying matches and upset 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the first round, becoming the first Indonesian to win a main-draw match at the US Open in over two decades. The victory marked a turning point that led to her first WTA title in India at the end of last season and a rise to world No.35.

Coaching and development under Chris Bint Chris Bint, a

British-born coach with nearly 20 years of experience, began working with Tjen this time last year. He prepared her for the US Open debut and has since focused on building experience at major tournaments, exposure to top-level competition, and refining her game on different surfaces. Bint highlighted Tjen’s willingness and coachability, noting that her explosive movement and competitive spirit are key assets.

Bint’s coaching philosophy centers on a high-challenge, high-support framework. He stresses the importance of a growth mindset, especially for a player who has played college tennis at the University of Oregon and Pepperdine University before turning pro. The coach works on improving Tjen’s baseline tempo, decision-making on forehand shape, and backhand versatility, aiming to develop a 200 km/h first serve.

Season performance and schedule

Tjen entered the Monterrey Open with an 11-21 win-loss record. Six of those losses were to players ranked inside the top 20, and one came against former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova. She has reached the last 16 in four tournaments this season, as shown in the table below.

Bint acknowledges that there is room for improvement, especially in maintaining a higher tempo behind the baseline and using slice as a weapon to disrupt opponents’ rhythm.

The season’s travel schedule has taken Tjen to Australia, the UAE, Mexico, France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada. Bint manages the demands of a 45-week tour by planning sessions, analyzing match footage, and ensuring recovery. He often works early mornings or late evenings to secure court time, and he balances training with rest periods, sometimes playing board games or visiting local attractions to unwind.

Travel, training and workload management

Bint stresses the importance of balancing court time with recovery to keep Tjen healthy both physically and mentally. He uses long-haul flights to stay productive, planning sessions and reviewing videos. During rest periods, he focuses on scouting opponents and preparing technical work.

The coach’s experience as a High Performance Director for the Lavie Tennis Academy and National Performance Coach for Tennis New Zealand has helped him adapt to the professionalism required on the WTA Tour. He notes that players ranked 35-70 must compete in many mandatory events, making scheduling an art.

Tjen will be making her fifth Grand Slam main-draw appearance at the US Open next week. In the past four, she has won at least one match in three of them but has yet to advance beyond the second round.

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Southeast Asian rankings

For more details on Tjen’s upcoming matches, see the fixtures. Her current ranking status can be checked in the standings, and her recent performance statistics are available in the stats.

Source: Ubitennis