Abigail Urhobo of the United States enters the Makarska 1/8-finals as the lower-ranked player at world No. 185, facing an opponent nearly 75 positions ahead in the standings. The American has struggled on the clay court circuit recently, losing consecutive matches to Lucia Boskovic and Katie Boulter without taking a set. Urhobo will need to find significant form improvement to upset Daria Semenistaja, with Pinnacle odds of 2.02 reflecting her underdog status in this first-round matchup. This is the first meeting between the two players on record.

Daria Semenistaja of Latvia arrives at Makarski as the eighth-finals favourite, ranked No. 110 and holding a 2.3% odds advantage at 1.81 decimal according to Pinnacle. The Latvian has shown mixed clay-court form with two wins against Irina Shymanovich and Alize Friedsam tempered by three losses, most recently a 1–2 defeat to Kateryna Zavatska. Despite the inconsistency, Semenistaja's superior ranking and experience give her the edge as the first meeting between these two competitors unfolds on the clay surface. Her recent tournament record suggests she remains capable of strong performances when form aligns.