An injured beast that’s coming to test itself!

Nightmarish 2026 season. Injured in her right knee right from the United Cup, Eva Lys tried to play the Australian Open with a huge bandage before having to withdraw for several weeks. Her last-minute withdrawal from Indian Wells (early March) shows that the healing process is slow. Her only comeback match in Miami (a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Starodubtseva) showed a player unable to sustain physical intensity, with complicated lateral movement! She has never won a first round here.

Solid. Katie had a nice American swing with a third round in Indian Wells, where she showed rock-solid defense against high-caliber players. She has no major physical issues and comes in with far more match rhythm than Eva. She is extremely mobile and defends her baseline body and soul! Second round here last year. The green clay offers an interesting balance for Katie!

Eva is suffering and rehabbing from a hyperextension of the knee! The match-up is therefore an absolute trap for the German. Eva Lys likes to dictate play with clean, flat shots, but she makes a lot of unforced errors when she isn’t perfectly set on her legs. Up against “the vacuum cleaner” Volynets, who gets everything back, Eva will have to put in a lot of lateral running. With a still-fragile right knee, every slide at the end of a sprint will be a mental and physical test that she may fail due to a lack of confidence in her footing.