CHENNAI: Having ended Indonesia's 23-year wait for a WTA singles champion in Chennai last year, Janice Tjen is back in the city with a different challenge: defending the crown that transformed her career.

The Indonesian, who enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season in 2025, has found competing consistently at the highest level considerably more demanding this year.

She rose to a career-high ranking of 35 but could not add another title to her collection since her Chennai triumph. Tjen says learning to manage expectations and recover from setbacks has been among the biggest takeaways from her first full season on the WTA Tour.

"Last year was obviously a little bit of a free run for me. It was a magical run and when I look back, it's a bit ridiculous, to be honest," Tjen, ranked 42, said during an interaction.

"Just learning how to be able to bounce back. That's the most important thing for me this year. Just taking things one at a time and realising that this year's competition has been way higher for me, especially playing on the WTA Tour for a full year compared to last year."

Her rise last year brought greater attention to the sport back home, with access to courts becoming increasingly difficult because of rising demand.

"Booking tennis courts is a bit tough. That's a very, very good sign. Even though I also need to do a little bit of work with the court booking, it's a good thing to have. Hopefully, there will be more and more young people who want to play tennis," she said.

The Indonesian also spoke about the influence of seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams, with whom she recently enjoyed a memorable doubles campaign at the Guangzhou Open, where they made the semifinals.

Williams had described Tjen as her best doubles partner of the year, a compliment that meant a lot to the young Indonesian.

"Definitely, playing with someone like Venus, there are so many things you can take home. She is a great player with a lot of experience and we talked quite a bit, especially on the court," Tjen said.

The most important lesson she picked up from the American legend was to keep fighting even when the scoreboard was not in her favour.

"Sometimes things don't go the way you want them to, but if you are on the right track, just keep going and keep trusting yourself," she said.

Williams' longevity has also given Tjen something to think about. When asked whether she could imagine herself playing at the age of 46 like Williams, Tjen wasn't quite ready to make that commitment.

"Her love for tennis is amazing. She doesn't need to play tennis anymore, but the fact that she's still playing is amazing. I don't know if I'll be able to do that," she said.

The Indonesian also credited her parents for instilling in her the resilience that has helped her negotiate the ups and downs of professional tennis.

"My parents are pretty strict. They always taught me to never shy away from challenges, even the smallest things. Even if I had a big exam and was scared and needed more time to study, they didn't care. They were like, you have to face it no matter what. You just have to do it," she said.

"To never shy away from challenges, just try to be your best, whatever life is going to throw at you. That was the biggest thing for me to keep going."

Her own journey to the professional circuit was far from straightforward. Tjen admitted that she had considered quitting tennis before turning professional, with the financial demands of the sport making the journey challenging.

She eventually chose the American college pathway, studying at the University of Oregon before completing her collegiate career at Pepperdine University, where she graduated with a degree in sociology.

"I definitely don't think I was ready, physically and mentally, to turn professional right after my junior career. Throughout college, I learned so much about having a better work ethic, how to work hard, be resilient and manage time," she said.

"They made us work very hard there just to develop mentally and physically throughout those four years. That was a big stepping stone for me to go pro. It also gave me time to choose and think whether I wanted to go pro or not."

Looking back at the extraordinary turnaround from contemplating quitting to becoming an Indonesian sporting trailblazer, Tjen said she had never anticipated the scale of her breakthrough.