The issue where the RadComboBox selects the first item when two items have the same text has been marked as Won't Fix due to consistently low interest from the community since it was reported in 2009.

If you encounter this scenario, you can implement a custom JavaScript solution to differentiate items with identical text by using unique values or additional attributes.

Feel free to open a ticket if you need assistance with this approach or have further questions.

Thank you for your understanding.