By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 25, 2025Photo credit score: Sarah Stier/Getty
NEW YORK—In a single temporary second, Barbora Krejcikova was utterly disarmed by Vicky Mboko.
Within the first sport of the second set, an Mboko drive dislodged the vibration damper in Krejcikova’s racquet turning the two-time main champion, chair umpire, crew and even Mboko right into a search social gathering squad scouring Louis Armstrong Stadium court docket for the quarter-sized dampener.
Remarkably, the chair umpire proved to be a visionary findng the wayward dampener caught hidden behind the Evian cooler.
The 2024 Wimbledon winner Krejcikova proceeded to mute Mboko for the remainder of the match, rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 US Open first-round win.
This match between future Corridor of Famer Krejcikova and charismatic Canadian star Mboko supplied contrasting types and promise of drama.
Ultimately, Krejcikova’s all-court sport—and superior variation—have been an excessive amount of for the 18-year-old Mboko, who was taking part in her first match since her riveting wild card run to the Montreal championship earlier this month.
An assortment of accidents and sickness have restricted Krejcikova to only 15 matches this season, however she regarded match and performed quick in her US Open return in opposition to the gifted Mboko.
“It’s large what she achieved already and the way nicely she performed,” Krejcikova stated of Mboko. “And once I was watching, I used to be actually joyful that she made it as a result of it’s an enormous, large victory for her so good luck to her.
“I imply very, very joyful at this time with the serving. I feel total the sport was actually good. I feel I used to be enhancing so I’m actually proud of that.”
Foreboding indicators for Mboko have been evident initially as she took the court docket sporting heavy taping round the best wrist.
The Twenty second-seeded Mboko injured her wrist throughout her fall to the court docket in opposition to one other former Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, throughout her 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) semifinal triumph in Montreal.
In Montreal, Mboko electrified house followers, taming her tennis hero, a cranky Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 within the last. {The teenager} turned on followers and made historical past—she’s the second-youngest girl to defeat 4 Grand Slam champions en path to a WTA title—however maybe aggravated the wrist subject as she pulled out of Cincinnati earlier this month.
Whether or not it was the wrist, the nerves making her US Open debut and simply third main main-draw look or the problem of the highly-skilled Krejcikova, Mboko didn’t serve with the identical confidence. She double faulted to open the match—one in all 10 double faults total—and struggled to manage her working forehand.
A relaxed Krejcikova drew 30 unforced errors from Mboko and gave little away to her opponent, who celebrates her nineteenth birthday tomorrow.
The Czech veteran, who gained the 2022 US Open doubles championship, did to Mboko what Osaka couldn’t. When she made Mboko transfer, Krejcikova typically closed at knocking off a volley or she performed brief angled-slices to forestall the Canadian from taking part in run and chase protection and increasing factors.
Krejcikova broke to open and laced the middle stripe with an ace going up 3-1 after 21 minutes.
Successive double faults from Mboko helped Krejcikova earn double set level within the ninth sport. When Mboko despatched a backhand deep, Krejcikova closed a one-set lead after 43 minutes.
Mboko’s two-handed backhand is a compact, forceful shot, however she typically tends to play it down the road too typically, which opened her up for Krejcikova’s counter assault with the sharp-angled forehand crosscourt.
In these forehand exchanges, Krejcikova’s selection—she will hit the brief angle forehand, take all of the tempo off the slice forehand, or spin it off the court docket deep into the nook—unsettled {the teenager}.
The runaway vibration dampener solely briefly slowed the 29-year-old Czech’s roll. Krejcikova burst out to a 3-0 second-set lead. Mboko held for 1-3 after 66-minutes sparking a roar from Armstrong followers, who have been firmly behind the Canadian.
On this afternoon, nothing might cease the world No. 62. Krejcikova hammered an inside-out forehand for 5-2 after 77 minutes.
The 2021 US Open quarterfinalist closed in a single hour, 23 minutes.
On a day wherein Krejcikova’s buddy and former Czech Billie Jean King Cup teammate Petra Kvitova made her main farewell bowing to Diane Parry, 6-1, 6-0, on Grandstand, the 2024 Wimbledon winner regarded sharp.
Krejcikova, who seems wholesome taking part in her Twenty second profession main, will attempt to attain the US Open third spherical for the primary time in 4 years when she meets Japanese Moyuka Uchijima in spherical two.
