Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko suffered a setback at the US Open on Monday, falling to Czech star Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets in the opening round.
Mboko, seeded 22nd and set to celebrate her 19th birthday on Tuesday, was outclassed 6-3, 6-2 by the experienced two-time Grand Slam champion.
The defeat comes just three weeks after Mboko clinched her maiden WTA title with a breakthrough victory at the Canadian Open in Montreal.
Krejcikova, who showed her trademark composure and precision, advances to the second round where she will face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
In another emotional moment on Monday, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova played the final match of her career, bowing out with a 6-1, 6-0 loss to France’s Diane Parry. The 35-year-old Czech had already announced her intention to retire after this year’s US Open, drawing the curtain on a remarkable career that included 31 WTA titles and over a decade at the top level of women’s tennis.
