NEW YORK: Twice major winner Barbora Krejcikova harnessed her experience to knock promising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko out of the US Open 6-3, 6-2 in the first round on Monday, finding her rhythm in an injury-dented season.

It was a tough draw for Mboko, who beat four major winners in a fairytale run to the title in Montreal but showed her inexperience on her Flushing Meadows debut against the former Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion.

The Czech Krejcikova next plays Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

“I saw it in Montreal — it’s huge what she has achieved already and how well she played,” said Krejcikova, who forced her opponent into an error with a fine backhand shot on match point.

Krejcikova, who was unseeded after missing several months early this year due to injury, broke the Canadian from the baseline in the first game and easily saved both break points she faced in the first set.

Playing the day before her 19th birthday, Mboko went down a break after a clumsy shot into the net in the second game of the next set and Krejcikova secured the win as the Canadian made two of her 10 double faults across the match in the final game.

“Very, very happy today with the serving,” said Krejcikova, who dropped only five of her first-serve points. “I have a perfect team right now, I’m really enjoying the last couple of weeks.”

Earlier, Sebastian Korda of the US retired as Britain number two Cameron Norrie reached the second round.

Korda began to show signs of a back injury early in the match and after losing the second set to trail 7-5 6-4, he pulled the plug, sending Norrie through to the last 64.

SABALENKA, DJOKOVIC ADVANCE AS MEDVEDEV OUSTED

On Sunday, Aryna Sabalenka launched the defence of her US Open crown with victory while Novak Djokovic made a successful start to his latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title — but a raging Daniil Medvedev exited.

World number one Sabalenka, bidding to become the first woman to claim back-to-back US Open titles since Serena Williams completed a hat-trick of wins in 2014, was made to work hard en route to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova.

Masarova, ranked 108th in the world, pushed Sabalenka out of her comfort zone with a gutsy performance on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s main Arthur Ashe Stadium showcourt.

Sabalenka next faces unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova.

While Sabalenka advanced safely, Danish 14th seed Clara Tauson tumbled out to Alexandra Eala.

Eala, 20, became the first player from the Philippines to win a Grand Slam singles match with a thrilling 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(13/11) win, battling back from a 5-1 deficit in the final set.

Another player from Southeast Asia — Indonesia’s Janice Tjen — also bagged an upset, ousting Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Tjen became the first Indonesian since Angelique Widjaja in 2004 to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam singles event.

Tjen, ranked 149th in the world, will face Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the second round.

Raducanu routed Japan’s Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2.

With men’s defending champion Jannik Sinner and rival Carlos Alcaraz not opening their campaigns until Monday and Tuesday, all eyes were on the veteran Serbian star Djokovic in Sunday’s night session on Ashe.

In Sunday’s night session, Djokovic showed flashes of brilliance in a 6-1, 7-6(7/3), 6-2 win against his unseeded 19-year-old American opponent Learner Tien.

The 38-year-old raced through the first set but was then forced to save a set point in the second after Tien grew in confidence.

A lengthy medical timeout to treat what looked like a blister on his right foot helped revive Djokovic and he pulled away to wrap up victory in 2hr 25min.

The final game of the opening day saw a chaotic victory for France’s Benjamin Bonzi over Russian 13th seed Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion.

Amid extraordinary scenes at the end of the third set, play was held up for more than six minutes as Bonzi waited to serve on match point.

It followed a tirade by Medvedev against chair umpire Greg Allensworth after the official re-awarded Bonzi a first serve when a photographer mistakenly walked onto the court.

With Medvedev egging the crowd on to voice their displeasure, Bonzi lost the set and Medvedev won the fourth to square the match.

Bonzi though recovered in the fifth to close out a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5/7), 0-6, 6-4 win in 3hr 45min.

Fourth seed Taylor Fritz and sixth seed Ben Shelton also eased into the second round.

Fritz, last year’s beaten finalist, won 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 against unseeded compatriot Emilio Nava. Shelton had a similarly comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025