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Emma Raducanu won't have an easy task of ending her three-match losing streak in Doha after she drew No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya in the first round.
After the Briton exited this week's Abu Dhabi Open in the first round with a loss to Marketa Vondrousova, she learned that her Middle East swing would continue after the Qatar Open organizers agreed to give her a main draw wildcard.
For Raducanu - who was beaten in the Doha first round last year - this will be her second appearance at the tournament.
And it definitely won't be easy for her to clinch her first Qatar Open win this year or even make a deep run, considering that she could also possibly meet world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Raducanu and Kalinskaya set to meet for the first time
When the 22-year-old Briton and her 26-year-old rival clash against each other in Doha, that will be their first meeting.
Going into the match, the 2021 US Open champion is riding a three-match losing streak after losing to Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open third round and then also falling short to Cristina Bucsa in Singapore and Vondrousova in Abu Dhabi.
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On the other side, Kalinskaya struggled with an injury and illness in early 2025 and missed the Australian Open.
While she managed to make the Singapore semifinal last week, the Russian was again battling some physical issues and she had to retire midway through her match against Ann Li.
Raducanu's confidence may not be the best at the moment - but if Kalinskaya isn't at 100 percent - the Briton's chances of ending on the winning side significantly increase.
