World No. 3 Pegula withdraws from Singapore Tennis Open; Fernandez accepts tournament wild card
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Jessica Pegula had a deep run at the US Open in New York earlier in September but fell to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
PHOTO: AFP
- World No. 3 Jessica Pegula withdrew from the Singapore Tennis Open due to physical fatigue after the US Open, expressing disappointment but hoping to return in the future.
- Canadian Leylah Fernandez accepted a wild card for the tournament, which features top players like Alexandra Eala, Mirra Andreeva, and Amanda Anisimova.
- The event is now a WTA 500 tournament with a US$1.2 million prize pool, hosting a 28-player singles draw and free qualifying rounds to engage fans and promote tennis locally.
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SINGAPORE – Women’s world No. 3 Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the Singapore Tennis Open.
The American announced her withdrawal in an Instagram story on Sept 16, saying she was disappointed.
She wrote: “After a long and physically demanding few weeks at the US Open, I’m just not quite ready to get back on court and compete at the level I expect from myself.
“I was really looking forward to playing in Singapore and hope I can come back in the future.”
Pegula, 32, had a deep run at the US Open in New York earlier in September but fell to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
She was the highest-ranked player to have confirmed her participation in the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open, with organisers announcing her appearance in August. The final line-up will be unveiled soon.
Canadian world No. 31 Leylah Fernandez, who has won five WTA Tour titles, has accepted a wild card to the main draw, organiser The Kallang Group said on Sept 16.
The Sept 21-27 tournament will be held at the OCBC Arena in The Kallang, with star players including Filipina Alexandra Eala (world No. 18), Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva (No. 5) and 2025 Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova (No. 11) expected to compete.
Anisimova announced her arrival in Singapore in a Sept 15 TikTok video of herself working out in a gym.
The tournament was elevated from a WTA 250 event following a successful debut edition in January 2025, which was won by Belgian Elise Mertens, who is set to defend her title.
The upgrade makes it South-east Asia’s only WTA 500 tournament, with a prize pool of about US$1.2 million (S$1.5 million).
It is also part of the tour’s Asian swing, which features stops in South Korea, China, Japan, India and Hong Kong, before the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells in the US in November.
The Singapore event will have a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Qualifying – which is free for fans – will take place on Sept 19 and 20.
Singaporean Eva Marie Desvignes will be the lone local representative, after she was awarded a wild card to qualifying.
Other notable names set to compete in Singapore include two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova, former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari and Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska.
Tickets for the tournament are available on The Kallang’s website.
Those without tickets can still experience the tournament atmosphere with live screenings of selected matches and a host of food and beverage options at the Break Point Garden, located outside the OCBC Arena.
Yazed Osman, co-tournament director of the Singapore Tennis Open, said the free activities will add excitement throughout The Kallang.
“Alongside showcasing some of the world’s best tennis talent, we want to create opportunities for more people to engage with tennis and be part of the tournament atmosphere.”
Budding local and regional players will also be in action at the Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup, which takes place from Sept 23 to 26 at the nearby Kallang Tennis Hub.
Before that, the Kallang Tennis Hub will host 26 boys’ and girls’ teams from across Asia at the World Tennis Asia 12 & Under Team Competition Finals from Sept 15 to 19.