Mboko advances in Paris after defeating Bartunkova in clash of young standouts

Victoria Mboko opened her Roland Garros campaign with a resounding victory Tuesday, rolling past Nikola Bartunkova in a matchup of rising talents.

Roland Garros: Scores | Order of play | Draws 

The 19-year-old Mboko defeated the 20-year-old Bartunkova 6-1, 6-2 in 69 minutes in their first meeting at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level, sending the No. 9 seed into the second round in Paris and moving her within one win of matching her third-round showing in her tournament debut last year.

Bartunkova, making her Roland Garros debut, got off to a flying start. She opened the match with a volley winner and closed her first service game with a forehand winner for 1-0. But while her success at the net continued -- she won 11 of 13 points there -- the rest of her game couldn't keep pace. After that early hold, Mboko settled in and swept the next six games to take the first set in just over half an hour.

Mboko mixed her shot selection throughout the run. She sealed her first hold with a backhand winner for 1-1, then used the forehand to set up game point to take a 3-1 lead. A backhand winner following a charge to the net gave her a second break for 4-1, and she went back to the forehand to consolidate for 5-1 before breaking again to close out the set. She finished the opener with 12 winners to six unforced errors.

The second set was eerily similar. Bartunkova's competitiveness never wavered, and a pair of heavy forehands earned her a break for 1-0. But Mboko broke right back, and after a brief exchange of holds, she secured the decisive break for 4-2. That was, as they say, all she wrote. An ace pushed her ahead 5-2, and her sixth break of the match extended her run to four straight games and ended Bartunkova's bid for a first Roland Garros win.

Mboko will face another Czech next in Katerina Siniakova, who advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Simona Waltert. It will be their first meeting, with a spot in the third round on the line.

Mboko match stats

• Aces:  3
• Winners:  22
• Unforced errors:  15
• First-serve percentage:  60% (28 of 47)
• First-serve points won:  64% (18 of 28)
• Second-serve points won:  58% (11 of 19)
• Receiving points won:  60% (31 of 52)
• Break points converted:  60% (6 of 10)