Victoria Mboko's debut at the US Open came to a swift conclusion as she suffered a 6-3, 6-2 defeat against Barbora Krejcikova from Czechia in the first round of women's singles on Monday. This match marked Mboko's first competitive appearance since winning the National Bank Open title in Montreal earlier this month.
The rising tennis star, hailing from Toronto and set to turn 19 on Tuesday, arrived at Flushing Meadows as the 22nd seed in the women's draw. However, she faced a challenging opponent in Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion who clinched the Wimbledon women's title the previous year. Krejcikova, a former world No. 2, started the match strongly, breaking Mboko's serve early and achieving a comfortable victory in just one hour and 23 minutes.
Reflecting on her performance, Mboko expressed her disappointment at the outcome, acknowledging Krejcikova's high caliber as a seasoned player. “Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed that I lost today, but reflecting back on it, Barbora, she’s a two-time Grand Slam champion and she has a great level,” Mboko commented. She noted Krejcikova’s distinctive playing style and incredible court intelligence, admitting, “I felt like I was rushing myself a little bit and needed to take more time between points, and find a solution to kind of be at ease with myself and eventually play my game better.”
In addition to her struggles on the court, Mboko appeared to experience discomfort in her wrapped right wrist, which she continuously shook throughout the match. This injury occurred when she fell during the semifinals in Montreal. Discussing her condition, Mboko explained, “I had a previous injury, like, before in Montreal when I fell on it a little bit. I just taped it up for the US Open just to keep it stable and have it, I guess, somewhat OK for the match.” She emphasized her intention to focus on fitness and rehabilitation in the coming days, as there is a gap until the Asia swing of tournaments, adding, “Hopefully I’m going to be ready by then.”
Mboko's ascent in the tennis world has been remarkable; she improved her world ranking from 348 in December to 24th after securing her first WTA title. Reflecting on her journey, she stated, “If you told me last year I would have been seeded at the U.S. Open, or even playing the US Open, I would have been so happy. I’m happy with where I am. I feel like this is the start of a long journey, so that’s also really exciting.”
During the match, there was a brief interruption in the first game of the second set as Krejcikova, Mboko, and officials looked for Krejcikova’s vibration dampener, which had gone missing near the Czech's chair. Mboko remarked, “It disrupted the play a little bit, but I mean it was fine I guess.” She took the opportunity to regain her focus, stating, “I kind of tried to center myself and try to focus again because it took quite a bit of time to find her dampener. I just wanted to regroup. It was a little pause in the game, but I tried to make sure I was still active and bouncing around and ready for the next point.”
