Ito, Tjen Set Up All-Asian Clash in US Open Final Qualifying Round

New York – No. 3 seed Aoi Ito and rising star Janice Tjen will face off in an all-Asian matchup in the final round of US Open qualifying for a spot in the main draw.

Japanese 21-year-old Ito, who has pulled off upsets over Jasmine Paolini and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova this summer, survived a rollercoaster battle against Spain’s Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales, winning 6-0, 1-6, 6-1.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Tjen of Indonesia notched her 99th career match win since turning professional last May, defeating Poland’s Maja Chwalinska 7-5, 7-5. Tjen came back from 5-3 down in the first set, saving two set points. She is aiming to become the first Indonesian player in a Grand Slam main draw since Angelique Widjaja at the 2004 US Open.

Wednesday’s qualifying rounds were heavily disrupted by rain, with only eight women’s matches starting and none finishing. Consequently, the entire second round was postponed to Thursday, and the final round was pushed to Friday.

Two of the highest-rated teenagers in the draw saw their matches delayed at critical moments. No. 2 seed Tereza Valentova trailed Tatiana Prozorova 5-4 in the first set, while Australia’s Emerson Jones led Laura Pigossi 5-4, having just failed to serve out the opening set. Both returned on Thursday to complete their wins. Valentova, 18, dominated the remaining games for a 7-5, 6-1 victory, while 17-year-old Jones came through 6-4, 6-4, according to WTA reports.

Jones will next face Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, a former junior world No. 1 from Andorra. The 20-year-old, seeking to become the first player from her country to reach a Grand Slam main draw, came back strongly after trailing Astra Sharma by a set and a break, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

British No. 1 seed Francesca Jones also advanced, defeating Ekaterine Gorgodze 6-1, 7-6(11) after a tense second-set battle.

—With inputs from IANS