Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula will begin her 2026 season with a second-round clash against Anna Kalinskaya at the 2026 Brisbane International. Pegula had an excellent season in 2025, reaching six finals and winning three titles, one each on the three surfaces. This will be Pegula’s first match of the 2026 season, as she got a bye in the first round at Brisbane due to her high seeding.
Meanwhile, Kalinskaya had a 25-21 win-loss record last year, with a runner-up finish in Washington, where she came second to Leylah Fernandez. This year, she started on a confident note, winning 6-4, 6-4 against young Tereza Valentová in the first round at the Brisbane International.
Jessica Pegula vs Anna Kalinskaya Match Details
Date: Jan. 7, 2026
Tournament: Brisbane International 2026
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Pegula vs Kalinskaya Head-to-Head
After four meetings, Pegula has a 3-1 head-to-head record against Kalinskaya. The American and the Russian players faced off against each other twice in the last year. While Pegula won the match in Miami, Kalinskaya finally opened her account against the American player, winning their last encounter 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on the clay courts in Strasbourg.
Pegula vs Kalinskaya Prediction
Pegula had a 38-16 win-loss record on hard courts last year, reaching four finals, including at two WTA 1000 events in Miami and Wuhan, with her only hard-court title last year coming in Austin. She also had a decent run at the US Open, reaching the semifinal on the back of her runner-up finish in New York last year.
On the other hand, Kalinskaya had a 19-15 win-loss record on the hard courts in 2025, reaching the final in Washington. She also reached the semifinal in Singapore and had an impressive run at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, where she reached the quarterfinals.
Overall, Pegula has an impressive track record on hard courts, winning six titles from 14 finals on the surface, including runner-up finishes at the 2023 WTA Finals and at the 2024 US Open. On the other hand, Kalinskaya has reached two hard-court finals in her career but has yet to win a title. Barring the Washington final last year, she also reached the final at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai in 2024, losing to Jasmine Paolini.
The match being on a hard court will make Pegula the undisputed favorite to win the upcoming match, as she has won both her previous hard-court matches against the Russian player. Also, the American is one of the top-ranked players in the world and will look to start her season on a positive note.
Pick– Pegula to win in straight sets.
