One of the third-round matches at the 2026 Charleston Open will see Paula Badosa taking on 8th-seeded Anna Kalinskaya. Having received a wildcard for the event, Badosa started her campaign with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kayla Day in the first round, followed by a 6-3, 6-4 win over the 10th-seeded Maria Sakkari in the second round. Kalinskaya received a bye in the first round, after which she began her campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova in the second round.
Match Details: Paula Badosa vs. Anna Kalinskaya
Date: April 2, 2026
Tournament: Charleston Open 2026
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Family Circle Tennis Center, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Surface: Outdoor clay (green)
Category: WTA 500
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Badosa vs. Kalinskaya Head-to-Head Record
The two have played each other once before, with Badosa winning 6-3, 6-2 at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, giving Badosa a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head.
Badosa’s season has been lukewarm so far, as the Spaniard has won only two matches during the Australian swing, including a second-round exit at the Australian Open. Underwhelming results followed the Spaniard in the Middle East swing and at the Sunshine Double, where she could not get past the second round. In between, she played a WTA 125 event in Austin, where she reached the semifinals, losing to Bianca Andreescu.
Kalinskaya has won 10 of the 17 matches she has played this year, with her best result coming at the Qatar Open, where she reached the quarterfinals with wins over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Emma Navarro, and Elina Svitolina, before losing to eventual champion KarolÃna Muchová. She also had a decent run at the Australian Open, reaching the third round, where she lost to Iga ÅšwiÄ…tek in a three-set contest.
Prediction for Badosa vs. Kalinskaya
Despite being a clay-court event, Badosa has served efficiently in Charleston so far, winning 73% of her first-serve points and 45% of her second-serve points. She has been broken five times in two matches but has been prolific on return, breaking her opponents’ serve nine times across two contests.
In her match against Tomova, Kalinskaya did not serve well, winning only 51% of her first-serve points, which led to her being broken four times. However, she won 62% of second-serve points, converting 7 of 9 break-point opportunities, which was a key factor in her victory.
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Playing on the green clay will require players to be effective on both serve and return, unlike on red clay, where matches are more dependent on return. Given that Badosa has served well in her two matches and has the head-to-head advantage, the Spaniard is the favorite to win the upcoming match.
Pick: Badosa to win in three sets.
