The 2025 season is here. It is what fans have been waiting for after a long wait in the off-season. With the Australian Open not far away, the players have set the ground running at the warm-up events in the lead-up to the first major tournament of the new season. The Brisbane International is one of the lead-up tournaments taking place, with the main draw action starting from tomorrow. There are a host of American players playing at this event, among which is the 20-year-old Ashlyn Krueger.

Krueger will open her campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. Like Krueger, Uchijima is also in the early days of her career and still finding her feet on the WTA Tour. As a result, it promises to be an exciting clash between two young stars.

Ashlyn Krueger vs Moyuka Uchijima: Preview

The American sensation caught the eyes of the tennis world at the US Open this year, where she defeated the likes of Shuai Zhang and Mirra Andreeva with stunning performances before losing in the third round. Despite the defeat, she gave a good account of herself and is definitely a player to watch out for next year. She has closely risen up the ranks and has stayed inside the top 100 in 2024. Looking to carry on the momentum from the last season, Krueger will look to start her campaign on a positive note in Brisbane.

On the other hand, Krueger’s opponent, Uchijima had a greater success last season. Back in May this year, she won three consecutive titles on the ITF circuit and became the Number 1 player in her country. Later, she also clinched the WTA Jiangxi Open doubles title. Apart from her victories, the Japanese star has had a consistent run last season and would look to carry on the momentum at the Brisbane International.

Krueger vs. Uchijima: Head-to-head

Despite being in the early stages of their careers, Krueger and Uchijima have met each other a couple of times on opposite ends of the court. However, it has been a one-sided rivalry till now, with Krueger winning both matches. They first played at the Dow Tennis Classic back in 2022, which Krueger won in straight sets. This year, they also met at the Cincinnati Open qualifying round, with Krueger winning comfortably after losing just two games. Uchijima would look for a fresh start when they face each other in Brisbane in the new season.

Prediction: Krueger to continue her domination over Uchijima

Krueger might have dominated their rivalry, but Uchijima had better stats than Krueger last season. The Japanese star is placed nine spots above Krueger at the 55th position on the WTA rankings chart as well. Moreover, she won an impressive 51 matches in 2024 while losing 25. On the contrary, Krueger had a win-loss record, winning 29 matches and losing 26.

However, Krueger’s domination over Uchijima in their previous two encounters means she will start as the favorite. Krueger is expected to win the match against her Japanese opponent in straight sets and make a positive start to her 2025 campaign. Their match will take place tomorrow on Court 1.