Rising Tennis Star Victoria Mboko Faces Krejcikova in U.S. Open Opener

Victoria Mboko, a promising young talent in tennis, will open her campaign at the U.S. Open against the experienced Barbora Krejcikova, who boasts two Grand Slam titles to her name. As she turns 19, Mboko enters the tournament as the highest-ranked Canadian female player, holding the 22nd seed in the women’s draw and coming off a significant victory at the National Bank Open in Montreal, where she triumphed over prominent opponents including top seed Coco Gauff.

Krejcikova, now ranked 61st in the world, has previously reached a top ranking of No. 2 and has an impressive career record that includes winning the French Open in 2021 and Wimbledon in 2024. In the same tournament, Canadian players Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime have also drawn beneficial matchups. Fernandez, seeded 31st and the 2021 runner-up at the U.S. Open, recently won at the Citi Open, while Auger-Aliassime has secured two titles this year after a quarterfinals appearance in Cincinnati.

On the men's side, Denis Shapovalov, seeded 27th, is set to face Marton Fucsovics from Hungary, hoping to rebound from a first-round exit last year. Gabriel Diallo, seeded 31st, will meet Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur in his opening match, looking to build upon his third-round debut at the U.S. Open last year. Additionally, Rebecca Marino is on the verge of earning a spot in the women’s main draw after her recent victory in qualifying, while Cadence Brace and Carol Zhao were eliminated from further qualification action.