Tennis fans woke up this week to news that felt oddly familiar rather than genuinely shocking. A major American star had just skipped a tournament that almost everyone assumed she would play in person.
The tour has grown accustomed to watching its top players manage grueling schedules across multiple continents throughout an entire season. Sometimes the body simply refuses to cooperate, forcing difficult choices that fans rarely see coming.
Pegula withdraws from Singapore Open
American tennis star Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the WTA 500 Singapore Open, which begins Sept. 21. The decision came after a physically demanding stretch that included a run to the US Open semifinals.
Pegula announced her decision through an Instagram story posted on Sept. 16. She said she was disappointed but not quite ready to compete at the level she expects of herself.
She also wrote that she looked forward to the chance to play in Singapore again. Pegula ended the message with a heart emoji, adding a warmer note to her withdrawal announcement.
A grueling hard-court season
Pegula endured a physically demanding stretch across North America before Singapore. She reached the finals in Washington and Cincinnati, then advanced to the round of 16 in Toronto before September arrived.
She followed that run with another deep US Open campaign, reaching the semifinals before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. Across the American hard-court swing, Pegula went 15-4.
Her 50 match wins this season lead the WTA Tour. That heavy workload helps explain why she chose to pause before competing in Singapore rather than return to competition immediately.
No injury reason was confirmed
Pegula did not announce a specific injury when she withdrew from Singapore. Her public explanation focused on the physically demanding stretch around the US Open and not being ready to compete at her expected level.
That matters because withdrawal news can quickly lead to fan speculation. For now, the confirmed reason is workload and recovery, not a clearly identified injury.
Andreeva steps in as the top seed
With Pegula now out, the Singapore Open officially loses its projected top seed heading into this week’s main draw. World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva now inherits that top seed position for the tournament.
The 28-player field still features plenty of serious talent despite this late shakeup among the seeds. Amanda Anisimova and rising star Alexandra Eala remain ranked inside the top 20 and headline the field.
Elise Mertens returns to defend her championship title from last year’s edition of the tournament held in Singapore. Barbora Krejcikova and Maria Sakkari round out a genuinely competitive lineup that should still deliver exciting tennis.
Singapore Open’s historic tournament return
The Singapore Tennis Open carries real weight on the current WTA calendar. The event returned to the tour in 2025 after a 21-year hiatus, not after more than three full decades away.
This year, the tournament has been elevated from a WTA 250 event to a WTA 500 event. That upgrade helped bring a stronger field to Singapore for the 2026 edition.
The tournament will be held at OCBC Arena in Kallang from Sept. 21-27. The indoor hard-court venue gives Singapore a major stage for elite women’s tennis.
A wide-open field emerges
Pegula was not the only notable player to withdraw from Singapore. As of Sept. 18, the WTA listed 9 withdrawals from the tournament field, including Pegula, Diana Shnaider, and Sorana Cirstea.
The withdrawal list also included Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anastasia Potapova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Clara Tauson, and Mayar Sherif. Those changes reshaped the field before main-draw play began.
WTA also listed several moved-in players, including Daria Kasatkina, Talia Gibson, Alycia Parks and Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The player list remains subject to change before play starts.
What this means for her ranking
Pegula currently sits at No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, matching the career-high ranking she first reached in October 2022.
Missing Singapore does not erase the strength of her season. She has 50 match wins in 2026 and reached three finals this year, including Washington, Cincinnati, and Berlin.
Little-known fact: In 2021, Pegula became the first female athlete and first professional tennis player to release her own limited-edition NFT trading cards.
Looking ahead to the Asian swing
The Asian swing continues without Pegula in Singapore. Singapore and the Korea Open both begin Sept. 21 and run through Sept. 27 as the opening events of this stretch.
Pegula remains scheduled to play the China Open, which begins Sept. 30 in Beijing. The tournament is a WTA 1000 event and starts a demanding stretch near the end of the season.
Her Singapore withdrawal appears focused on recovery after a heavy run of matches. A break now could help her prepare for bigger ranking opportunities later in the Asian swing.
TL;DR
- Jessica Pegula withdrew from the WTA 500 Singapore Open, set for Sept. 21-27.
- She announced the news on Instagram after a physically demanding stretch through the US Open.
- Pegula went 15-4 during the American hard-court swing and reached the finals in Washington and Cincinnati.
- No specific injury reason was confirmed in reliable reports.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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