JANICE TJEN WINS JAPAN OPEN 2026 DOUBLES TITLE IN OSAKA
Janice Tjen won the Japan Open 2026 doubles title with Storm Hunter, beating Maleckova/Skoch 6-4, 6-1 in Osaka. Here’s how it happened.
At a glance
- Final score 6-4, 6-1
- Days from singles exit to title 6
- Ranking points per player 250
- Tjen’s age 24
Janice Tjen’s singles run in Osaka ended in round one. That was Monday, October 19. Six days later, she was kissing a silver trophy.
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Janice Tjen, 24, of Indonesia, and Storm Hunter of Australia won the women’s doubles title at the 2026 Japan Open on Sunday, October 25.
The WTA 250 event was played on outdoor hard courts at Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, Japan. They beat Czech pair Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch 6-4, 6-1 in the final. WTA 250 doubles champions normally earn 250 ranking points each.
What happened in the Janice Tjen Japan Open 2026 final?
The final did not take long. Tjen and Hunter, the top seeds, won the first set 6-4. Then they ran away with the second, 6-1. Maleckova and Skoch never found a way back.
There is a small twist here. In June, Tjen and her usual partner Aldila Sutjiadi beat the same Czech pair 6-1, 6-2 in Nottingham. Osaka made it two wins against them this year, this time with a new partner.
How did Tjen get through Osaka?
Her singles run ended against American Ashlyn Krueger. But the doubles draw was still open. She and Hunter were the No. 1 seeds.
On Wednesday, October 21, they won a tight quarterfinal against a Taiwanese pair. Then they won their semifinal and set up the final against the Czech duo.
Why is the Tjen and Hunter team so interesting?
Here is the fact worth sharing. Less than a year ago, Tjen beat Hunter in a final. On November 2, 2025, Tjen and Aldila Sutjiadi defeated Hunter and Monica Niculescu 7-5, 6-4 to win the Chennai Open doubles title. Now Hunter is on Tjen’s side of the net.
Hunter also had unfinished business in Osaka. In 2025, she lost the final here with Desirae Krawczyk to Kristina Mladenovic and Taylor Townsend. A year later, she got the trophy.
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What did the celebration look like?
Tjen’s Instagram photos show the scene. A silver cup with two handles. A blue sponsor wall. Ball kids in tan shirts standing in a neat line on the green court. In one photo, both players lean in to kiss the trophy. In another, two men squeeze into a phone selfie beside them.
“I knew Osaka was my favorite city… but I like it even more now!!” Janice Tjen, Instagram
She also thanked Hunter and the Japanese fans. Her post had 8,512 likes after 18 hours. Indonesia’s sports ministry, Kemenpora, congratulated her on Instagram and told her to keep going.
What does this mean for Indonesian tennis?
Tjen is now a steady name on the WTA Tour. She reached the world top 100 on October 6, 2025, and became the sixth Indonesian to do so. That same month, she won both singles and doubles in Chennai.
Her 2026 has been busy. In February, she reached the Merida Open doubles semifinals with Katarzyna Piter. In July, she reached the DC Open semifinals with Zhang Shuai. Different partners, same result: she keeps getting deep into draws.
