Asian trio make history with maiden Grand Slam victories
©Antoine Couvercelle / FFTIn a US Open first round that delivered few surprises, three young Asian stars in the making notched historic victories and broke new ground at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Alex Eala of the Philippines, Janice Tjen of Indonesia, and Coleman Wong of Hong Kong, all claimed the first Grand Slam main draw wins of their careers this week, in a city Alicia Keys has repeatedly told us is “where dreams are made of”.
In front of an army of Filipino fans on Grandstand on Sunday, Eala pulled off a stunning comeback, rallying from 1-5 down in the deciding set to upset No.14 seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11) in a two-hour 36-minute battle.
In doing so, the 20-year-old became the first player from the Philippines to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open Era.
“I'm super over the moon with what I was able to do today, especially coming back in the third. It's a very special win for me,” said Eala, who faces Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in round two on Wednesday.
“I'm so blessed to be the first to do this. I take so much pride in representing my country. It makes what I do bigger than myself, and it adds meaning to what I do.”
A girls’ singles champion at the US Open in 2022, Eala is enjoying a banner 2025, which saw her rise from 147 in the world at the start of the year, to a career-high 56 in the rankings in June.
She shocked three top-10 seeds – including six-time major champion Iga Swiatek – en route to the Miami semi-finals earlier this year and reached a maiden WTA final in Eastbourne three months later.
Over on Court 13, Tjen posted a maiden tour-level main draw victory by upsetting No.24 seed and recent Cincinnati semi-finalist Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
The 23-year-old qualifier, who was facing a top-50 player for the first time in her career, is the first Indonesian to win a Grand Slam main draw match since Angelique Widjaja in 2003.
“I'm so happy to see the progress of tennis in Southeast Asia in general. I know that a girl from Indonesia also won her match today. I've known her for a long time, so I'm happy for her. I'm happy that players from this region, are coming up and starting to be successful,” said Eala of Tjen.
An NCAA runner-up last year, Tjen was unranked when she graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in sociology in May 2024. In the 15 months since, she has won 101 of the 114 matches she has played – across all levels – and is now up to a career-high 126 in the live rankings.
Flaunting a big forehand and crafty slice backhand that fans online have found reminiscent of former world No.1 Ash Barty, Tjen will next take on 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
“She's my role model,” Tjen said of Barty. “I would watch a little bit of her matches and try to copy what works for me, what's not, and just trying to understand her game more.”
Tjen got into tennis urged on by her friend Priska Nugroho, who won the Australian Open girls’ doubles title in 2020, partnering Eala.
During her time at Pepperdine, Tjen wasn’t sure she should turn pro.
“I think during my college years I was always contemplating if I should go for it; should I not?” Tjen reflected.
“And I think at the end, I decided to try it out, and the coaches at Pepperdine told me, ‘I think you should give it a try, at least for two years’. So I trusted them, and here I am.”
Playing her first tour-level tournament, Tjen will face Raducanu on Louis Armstrong stadium and she says she is looking forward to compete in front of a big crowd.
“When Emma won the tournament and having an incredible run here, I was actually in college, and I was injured at the time, so I got to watch a lot of tennis,” she added.
“Just seeing her doing it makes me inspired to be able to do it, as well.
“Emma is very big. Like, everyone loves Emma at home.”
A day after Eala and Tjen’s triumphs, Wong etched his name in the history books by becoming the first ever player from Hong Kong to clinch a main draw win in a Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old qualifier, who like Eala, trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, won the boys’ doubles titles at the 2021 US Open and 2022 Australian Open and hit a career-high 128 in the world 11 months ago.
He defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(4) on Monday, firing 22 aces along the way, and will face Australia’s Adam Walton in the US Open round two on Thursday.
“This is where I want to be,” Wong told usopen.org. “I thought about this so many times when I was young, watching Rafa battling. This tournament is a tennis player's dream, and it is for me as well. I just want to keep going and see what I can do here.”
The world No.173 added: “I’m trying to come down a little bit, but it’s a big moment for me, and also for my family and for Hong Kong people. For me, I just want to keep going. I’ve been playing four matches already on these courts and I have had amazing support from the fans.”
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
