Aoi Ito Faces Janice Tjen in U.S. Open Qualifying Final

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES — An exciting all-Asian showdown is set for Friday as No. 3 seed Aoi Ito takes on rising star Janice Tjen in the final round of U.S. Open qualifying. The winner will secure a spot in the main draw of the prestigious tournament.

Ito, a 21-year-old from Japan, has been making waves this summer, scoring upsets against players such as Jasmine Paolini and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She reached this stage by defeating Spain’s Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales in a tight match, winning 6-0, 1-6, 6-1. Tjen, a 23-year-old graduate of Pepperdine University, notched her 99th win against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska with a score of 7-5, 7-5, demonstrating her resilience by coming back from 5-3 down and saving two set points in the first set.

This match is particularly intriguing due to the contrasting playing styles of the two competitors. Ito is known for her aggressive backhand and variety of slices and high balls on her forehand, while Tjen showcases a powerful forehand and a skillful backhand slice reminiscent of former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. Both players are proficient at the net, making this matchup one to watch.

With her imminent match against Ito, Tjen aims to become the first Indonesian player to enter a Grand Slam main draw since Angelique Widjaja at the 2004 U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, other matches led to several players advancing to the final round. No. 2 seed Tereza Valentova and 17-year-old Emerson Jones both successfully wrapped up their matches delayed by rain on Thursday, securing victories and maintaining their spots in the tournament. Valentova defeated Tatiana Prozorova 7-5, 6-1, while Jones edged past Laura Pigossi 6-4, 6-4.

British No. 1 seed Francesca Jones demonstrated remarkable grit, overcoming a major setback to defeat Ekaterine Gorgodze 6-1, 7-6(11), saving multiple set points in a tense second set.

Other players who shone include Hanne Vandewinkel, who saved match points against No. 5 seed Viktoriya Tomova, and Dominika Salkova, who triumphed in a marathon match against Kristina Dmitruk, reaching the third round of Grand Slam qualifying for the second time this year.

The final round of qualifying will also see Veronika Erjavec, fresh off strong performances in previous Grand Slam events, look to continue her momentum as she takes on Canada’s Cadence Brace.