Rising Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko draws veteran Krejcikova at U.S. Open

By Canadian Press on August 21, 2025.

NEW YORK — Rising tennis star Victoria Mboko will face Czech veteran Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round of the U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, fellow Canadians Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime received favourable first-round matchups in Thursday’s draw for the final Grand Slam of the season.

Mboko, who turns 19 on Tuesday, enters the hardcourt major tournament as the top-ranked Canadian, seeded 22nd in the women’s draw.

The Toronto teen is coming off her first WTA tournament victory at the 1000-level National Bank Open in Montreal.

Laval, Que., native Fernandez, seeded 31st in the women’s draw, and Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime, the men’s 25th seed, will both open against a qualifier.

Denis Shapovalov, the men’s 27th seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., opens against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, while 31st seed Gabriel Diallo of Montreal takes on Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Three more Canadians were bidding for a women’s main-draw berth, with Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, Toronto’s Cadence Brace and Carol Zhao of Richmond Hill all playing second-round qualifying matches later Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.

The Canadian Press