Victoria Mboko vs Barbora Krejcikova Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Krejcikova good value for opening round upset

Mboko made headlines a few weeks ago when she surged all the way to a maiden WTA 1000 title in her home tournament in Montreal, defeating the likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka along the way. Ranked outside the world's top 300 at the start of the season, the 18-year-old is now seeded 22nd at the US Open. Meanwhile, Krejcikova has repeatedly battled injury problems since capturing her second major title at Wimbledon last year, but the Czech is coming off a season-best fourth round showing in Cincinnati and will always be a big threat if fit.

I'm going to back Krejcikova to win at least one set and I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled off the upset either. Mboko was dealing with a wrist injury in the latter stages of her Montreal triumph and hasn't played since, while it's also extremely difficult for young players to immediately deal with the new-found pressure and expectation that comes after an initial breakthrough. Krejcikova looked good in Cincinnati and knows what it takes to go all the way in majors - she's good value as the underdog in this opening round contest.

This will be the first career meeting between the pair.

Mboko comes into this clash with a stellar 53-9 record at all levels for the season, rising from 330 in the world in January to a current ranking of No. 23.

The 18-year-old dominated the ITF circuit in the early stages of the year, picking up five titles before dipping her toes onto the main tour, reaching the third round of Roland Garros and the second round of Wimbledon.

Mboko then exploded, becoming just the third wildcard in history to win a WTA 1000 title, going all the way in Montreal as she defeated Gauff, Rybakina and Osaka along the way.

The Canadian will now be looking to continue her sparking form at the US Open, where she will be making her tournament debut as the No. 22 seed having never even previously featured in qualifying.

It's been a relatively quiet year for Krejcikova, who heads into this contest with a 8-6 record on the season as she continues to battle injuries.

The Czech missed the opening five months of the season, playing her first match at Roland Garros, where she made the second round.

Returning to Wimbledon with little match play as the defending champion, Krejcikova performed admirably, making the third round with wins over Alexandra Eala and Caroline Dolehide before going down to Emma Navarro.

Searching for form ahead of the US Open, the 29-year-old improved again in Cincinnati, beating Elina Svitolina to reach the R16, where she went out to eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini.

Krejcikova made the quarter-finals on her US Open debut in 2021, but hasn't been past the second round in her subsequent three appearances.