Daria Kasatkina vs Paula Badosa Preview & Prediction | 2026 US Open | First Round

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Daria Kasatkina takes on Paula Badosa in the first-round of the US Open.

Start date/time: 31 August 2026 at 4:00 pm

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – ESPN+

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Daria Kasatkina vs Paula Badosa ticket information

Daria Kasatkina vs Paula Badosa prediction

Daria Kasatkina was on course for the second-round of the Cincinnati Open, as she won the first set and went a break up against Zeynep Sonmez. However, she went on to lose the match in three. Kasatkina has struggled to produce consistent results this season and was also out of action towards the start of the year due to injury. However, she can still be a dangerous player, as shown by her close three set loss to world number two Elena Rybakina at the Canadian Open earlier this month.

She goes up against former world number two Paula Badosa. The Spaniard reached the quarter-finals of the US Open two years ago, but injury struggles have seen her ranking plummet to nearly outside the world’s top 100. She was able to perform consistently during July, as she won a WTA 125 title in Bastard and then reached the final of the Iasi Open a week later. Following a quarter-final defeat in Hamburg, Badosa opted not to compete at the North American hard court events in order to protect her body from exhaustion.

The 28-year-old has not played competitively in over a month, and that lack of sharpness could give Kasatkina the edge here. Kasatkina also leads the head-to-head 4-3 and 2-1 on outdoor hard court. 

Daria Kasatkina vs Paula Badosa tip: Daria Kasatkina to win