Another Texan at home!!

Anastasia Zakharova is starting 2026 under the sign of fighting spirit. After shaking up the best in Doha, where she took a set off Jelena Ostapenko (6-1, 2-6, 4-6), the 24-year-old Russian had to dig deep to get through the first round in Texas. Up against wild card Mary Stoiana, she came through at the end of a marathon lasting more than two hours (3-6, 6-2, 6-4), showing great solidity from the baseline, notably with 76% first serves in. Her counter-punching game is perfectly tuned, but in terms of first serve quality, we’ve seen better! This match against the local player could easily have swung the other way too. Not convinced, just like her no-show against Ruzic in Dubai.

Ashlyn Krueger, the local girl, is still trying to find her cruising speed this February. Her stint in Abu Dhabi was a nightmare, with a first-round exit against Bejlek (3-6, 0-6), but she showed a completely different face for her debut in Austin. In front of her home crowd, she dominated Caty McNally in straight sets (6-1, 7-6), relying on her natural power. Standing at 1.85m, she fired 5 aces and won 80% of points behind her first serve in that match. A real resurgence at last? Needs confirming! We’re still only on 4 matches won since the end of August 2025! No need to panic.