An intriguing all-Asian matchup in the final round of US Open qualifying will take place on Friday as No. 3 seed Aoi Ito takes on fast-rising Pepperdine University graduate Janice Tjen for a berth in the main draw.
Ito, the unorthodox Japanese 21-year-old who has scored upsets over Jasmine Paolini and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova this summer, came through a see-saw contest over Spain’s Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales 6-0, 1-6, 6-1. Tjen notched her 99th match win since graduating last May 7-5, 7-5 over Poland’s Maja Chwalinska, coming from 5-3 down and saving two set points in the first set.
Their first-time encounter will be one to watch not just because of their form but also their contrasting game styles. Ito attacks with her backhand while feeding her opponents an array of slices and high balls on the forehand wing; Tjen boasts a combination of a formidable forehand and a precise backhand slice, reminiscent of Ashleigh Barty. Both excel in the forecourt.
Tjen, 23, is bidding to become the first Indonesian player in a Grand Slam main draw since Angelique Widjaja at the 2004 US Open.
Valentova, Jones wrap up wins; Jimenez Kasintseva shines after rain
Wednesday’s qualifying action was a near-washout due to continuous rain. Only eight women’s matches were started, and none were completed; as a result, the entire second round is scheduled for Thursday, with the scheduled final round pushed to Friday.
Two of the most highly-rated teenagers in the draw were among those who had their matches delayed at a crucial juncture. No. 2 seed Tereza Valentova trailed Tatiana Prozorova 5-4 in the first set, while Emerson Jones led Laura Pigossi 5-4 — having just failed to serve out the opener. Both returned on Thursday to wrap up their wins. Valentova, 18, sped through nine out of 10 games on resumption for a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Jones, 17, came through 6-4, 6-4.
Australia’s Jones will next face another former junior No. 1, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva. The 20-year-old Andorran, who is bidding to become the first player from her country to compete in a Grand Slam main draw, trailed Astra Sharma by a set and a break overnight. However, on resumption she played with substantially more purpose and confidence to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
It was a good day to keep up with the Joneses. British No. 1 seed Francesca Jones — no relation to Emerson — came through a remarkable second-set tussle to defeat Ekaterine Gorgodze 6-1, 7-6(11). She trailed the Georgian 4-1 in the set and 6-2 in the tiebreak, but saved five set points before converting her own fifth match point.
No. 86-ranked Jones extended her winning streak to seven matches (following her Palermo WTA 125 title in July), and will next face Arianne Hartono. The Dutchwoman defeated No. 19 seed Olivia Gadecki 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Vandewinkel, Salkova escape from match points down
Two players came through the second round after saving match points. Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel trailed No. 5 seed Viktoriya Tomova by a set and 5-3, but saved two on her own serve at 5-4 before roaring back to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. The result was the 21-year-old’s first Top 100 victory, and puts her into the final round of a Grand Slam qualifying event for the first time. Though Vandewinkel has yet to compete in a tour-level main draw, she delivered an eye-catching performance in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers by stretching Emma Navarro to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 scoreline.
Czech 21-year-old Dominika Salkova reached the third round of Grand Slam qualifying for the second time this year with a marathon 6-3, 5-7, 7-6[8] win over Kristina Dmitruk, the 2021 US Open girls’ runner-up. Salkova led by a set and 2-0, but ended up having to fend off four match points trailing 6-5 in the decider before edging the super-tiebreak.
Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec continued to deliver standout performances on the major stage, advancing 6-4, 6-4 past Canada’s Cadence Brace. Erjavec qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open, made the final round of Roland Garros qualifying and upset Marta Kostyuk to reach the Wimbledon second round as a qualifier. Her record at Grand Slams in 2025 stands at 11-3 so far — compared to a modest 10-15 at all other levels.
The final qualifying round of the US Open is as follows:
[1] Francesca Jones (GBR) vs. Arianne Hartono (NED)
[2] Tereza Valentova (CZE) vs. [18] Arantxa Rus (NED)
[3] Aoi Ito (JPN) vs. Janice Tjen (INA)
[4] Dalma Galfi (HUN) vs. [29] Panna Udvardy (HUN)
Hanne Vandewinkel (BEL) vs. [27] Priscilla Hon (AUS)
[6] Varvara Gracheva (FRA) vs. [20] Ena Shibahara (JPN)
[7] Katie Volynets (USA) vs. Jana Fett (CRO)
Destanee Aiava (AUS) vs. [21] Ella Seidel (GER)
[9] Zhang Shuai (CHN) vs. Wei Sijia (CHN)
Emerson Jones (AUS) vs. [28] Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (AND)
Alina Charaeva vs. [31] Wang Xiyu (CHN)
[12] Darja Semenistaja (LAT) vs. Linda Klimovicova (POL)
[WC] Ayana Akli (USA) vs. Oksana Selekhmeteva
Dominika Salkova (CZE) vs. [17] Rebecca Marino (CAN)
Lucrezia Stefanini (ITA) vs. Hina Inoue (USA)
[SR] Claire Liu (USA) vs. [32] Veronika Erjavec (SLO)
