Victoria Mboko is one of the next top stars on the WTA Tour, and she’s been handed a cracker of a first-round match at the US Open.
Mboko will face Barbora Krejcikova in the first round, with the Canadian seeded at 22 for the tournament, which has got underway at Flushing Meadows.
Mboko has addressed her wrist injury going into the US Open but it would appear that she will be fit and ready going into the match with the 2024 Wimbledon champion.
Lots of people in the world of tennis have been making predictions about Mboko and what she might achieve in the coming years on the tour.
Steve Johnson has previously predicted whether Mboko can win a Grand Slam and now he’s made an intriguing claim about the teenager ahead of her opening US Open match.
Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesSteve Johnson and Sam Querrey disagree on Victoria Mboko
Given the nature of the first round match and the tough nature of her opponent, the Nothing Major podcast went through the draw and gave some predictions.
Johnson thinks Krejcikova will win against Mboko but Querrey doesn’t agree, believing the Canadian will prevail against the Czech world number 61.
Johnson said: “I think she goes down first round. She has a tough first round against Barbora Krejcikova.”
Querrey was adamant that his prediction would be wrong, counter-arguing that she would win easily, saying: “No! Mboko is winning that in straights! She will beat anyone.”
Mboko has enjoyed solid 2025 whatever happens at the US Open
For Mboko, the year 2025 has been about getting to grips with the WTA Tour, and she’s taken every challenge in her stride.
The player is already up to number 23 in the world rankings and is seeded at a Grand Slam event for the first time at Flushing Meadows.
Mboko didn’t actually qualify for Wimbledon, but after being given the opportunity to enter as a lucky loser, she managed to beat Magdalena Frech before losing to Hailey Baptiste in round two.
Mboko has beaten Coco Gauff on her way to the title in Montreal and that tournament alone should give her so much confidence going into the rest of the year.