The Texan prodigy!!

By playing here, Mary Stoiana isn’t just playing an ordinary WTA tournament: she’s playing in her own backyard! The local child is hugely adored here and will have the crowd as a third player on court! A former national No. 1 in the NCAA and named 2024 Player of the Year, she holds a unique record on this college circuit! The Mitchell Tennis Center is the tennis stadium of Texas A&M University. During her four years of study (from 2021 to 2025), Mary Stoiana hasnever lost a single singles matchwhen playing at home in team competitions:47 wins, 0 losses: It’s a record of total consistency. On top of that, she knows exactly how to soak up the crowd’s energy and turn it to her advantage on court. In great form, she’s coming off a hard-fought semifinal in Midland in a W125. Very strong momentum on outdoor hard courts.

Anastasia Zakharova arrives in Texas after baring her teeth during the Middle East swing, proving she has the level to shake up the higher ranks. In early February in Doha, she caused a bit of an upset by dismissing Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets (6–4, 6–4) in qualifying, before delivering an epic battle in the first round of the main draw against Jelena Ostapenko, only losing after 2h39 of play despite winning the first set (7–6, 3–6, 4–6). More recently in Dubai, she confirmed her form by beating Julia Grabher and Moyuka Uchijima, before falling to Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Antonia Ružić, where she completely fell apart. Despite these defeats, her 67% break-point conversion rate against Ostapenko highlights her opportunism and her ability to stand up to the most aggressive players on the outdoor hard-court circuit.