KBRN, Jakarta: The 2026 tennis season will open with a mix of emerging talents and seasoned champions at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. With defending champion Clara Tauson and U.S. star Coco Gauff competing elsewhere, the tournament offers a wide-open field and a prime chance for new winners to emerge.

Indonesia’s Janice Tjen will begin the year as the fifth seed, joining a lineup that includes rising names and tennis icons. According to the official WTA website on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, Janice will compete alongside players such as New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who enters as a hometown favorite ranked No. 90. 

The 24-year-old Wimbledon 2024 quarterfinalist captured her first WTA 125 title in Jingshan, China, in September and reached the Guangzhou final in October.

Also making her debut is Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, the 2025 SEA Games singles champion, who closed last season as the first Filipino player to break into the world’s top 50. Eala is seeded fourth, just ahead of Janice, and is chasing her first tour-level title.

Janice herself ended 2025 on a high note, winning a WTA 125 in Jinan and a WTA 250 in Chennai, solidifying her place among Asia’s promising contenders.

Adding star power to the Auckland draw, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has accepted a wild card. The 2015 ASB Classic winner, who recently returned to competition after a 16-month absence, will play her first tournament since the U.S. Open. Fellow American and 2016 champion Sloane Stephens also received a wild card.

The top seed is Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, followed by Americans Emma Navarro (No. 2) and Iva Jovic (No. 3). Poland’s Magda Linette, China’s Wang Xinyu, and American Peyton Stearns round out the seeded players.

The ASB Classic will run during the first week of January 2026, with the final scheduled for Sunday, January 11. ***