A fairly obvious gap

.. with a knee that's not 100% for the Spaniard

The match-up could be brutal for the Spaniard. Kalinskaya loves players who lack punch on serve so she can attack right off the return. If Bouzas Maneiro, who racked up 24 unforced errors in her last big match, doesn’t dial in her shots, Anna is going to hammer her backhand. In Doha, on a surface that rewards early ball-striking, the Russian has a clear technical edge. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro had to withdraw from the Abu Dhabi tournament on February 2, 2026, officially due to a right knee injury, and she hasn’t played a match in 3 weeks. Sure, the clay-courter has made good progress on hard courts, but she’s still far from really deserving that top-40 status, which she doesn’t seem totally comfortable with anyway. Kalinskaya is all about the chill attitude, always in the present moment, and her match against Iga at the ’AO will stay my benchmark for this start of the season.