World No. 3 Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open, and Alex Eala is now projected to move up to the No. 3 seed.
Pegula announced the decision in an Instagram story. She cited fatigue after her US Open run, which ended in the semifinals with a straight-sets loss to Aryna Sabalenka.
"I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from Singapore… 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," she said, GMA News reports.
"I was really looking forward to playing in Singapore and hope I can come back in the future," she added, The Straits Times reports. Pegula had been the highest-ranked confirmed player in the field.
Eala's projected seeding moved fast on Wednesday. The world No. 18 was initially slated No. 6, then moved to No. 4 after Diana Shnaider and Sorana Cirstea pulled out. She is now expected to sit behind top seed Mirra Andreeva (world No. 5) and Amanda Anisimova (world No. 11).
Singapore will be Eala's first event since the US Open, where she lost to her good friend Iva Jovic in the third round.
The Singapore Tennis Open runs September 21–27 at OCBC Arena at The Kallang. It is Southeast Asia's only WTA 500, with a 28-player singles draw and about US$1.2 million in prize money. Elise Mertens won the debut edition in January 2025, when it was a WTA 250.
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