SINGAPORE, September 22, 2026: Amanda Anisimova has withdrawn from the Singapore Tennis Open before playing a point, removing the No. 2 seed from a WTA 500 draw that had already lost several leading players before and during the opening stages of the tournament.
Anisimova, ranked world No. 11, received a first-round bye and had been scheduled to begin her campaign against Australia’s Talia Gibson in the second round. Gibson earned the matchup by defeating Fiona Ferro in her opening match.
Lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova of Slovakia has entered the draw in Anisimova’s place and inherits the vacant position, changing one of the most important sections of the Singapore bracket before the top seeds have completed their opening matches.
Current reports cite a left-wrist injury as the reason for Anisimova’s withdrawal. The American missed approximately two months earlier in the 2026 season with a left-wrist problem, although one report on Tuesday described the current issue as a shoulder injury. With that discrepancy unresolved by an updated official medical announcement, the exact nature of the latest injury should be treated cautiously.
Amanda Anisimova’s Singapore Withdrawal at a Glance
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Player | Amanda Anisimova |
| Ranking | World No. 11 |
| Singapore seeding | No. 2 |
| First round | Bye |
| Scheduled opponent | Talia Gibson |
| Status | Withdrawn |
| Reported injury | Left wrist, with conflicting reporting over the precise injury |
| Replacement | Viktoria Morvayova, lucky loser |
| Tournament | Singapore Tennis Open |
| Category | WTA 500 |
The official WTA tournament page identifies Singapore as a WTA 500 played on indoor hard courts at the OCBC Arena from September 21-27. The event uses a 28-player singles draw, which gives the leading four seeds first-round byes.
What Happened to Amanda Anisimova in Singapore?
Anisimova never reached the court for her first match.
As the No. 2 seed, she was among the four players who advanced directly into the second round. Gibson, meanwhile, had to earn her place there and did so by defeating Ferro.
That matchup was already established in The Sports Encounter’s opening-day Singapore report, which noted that Gibson’s victory had earned her a meeting with Anisimova.
The withdrawal now removes that match entirely.
Morvayova, who had lost during qualifying, receives another opportunity as a lucky loser. Her entry demonstrates one of the mechanisms tournaments use when withdrawals occur after the qualifying process has already established an alternate pool.
Why Does Anisimova’s Withdrawal Matter to the Singapore Draw?
Anisimova’s seeding is the starting point.
The American was positioned immediately behind No. 1 seed Mirra Andreeva and was therefore one of the two highest-seeded players in the tournament. Her placement separated the leading seeds across the draw and gave Singapore another established name during the opening event of the WTA’s Asian Swing.
Removing the No. 2 seed before her first match changes the competitive profile of her section.
Gibson had been preparing to face a Top 20 opponent. She will instead encounter a lucky loser. Players positioned further along the same route also lose one of the highest-ranked potential opponents between themselves and the latter rounds.
That does not guarantee an easier path for anyone. Tennis draws rarely develop according to ranking alone, particularly at a tournament that has already experienced significant turnover. It does, however, remove the player who was seeded to advance furthest from that part of the bracket.
For continuing coverage of the women’s tour, TSE’s Tennis Hub tracks the major WTA tournaments, player developments and draw-changing stories throughout the season.
Singapore Has Already Lost Several Major Names
Anisimova’s withdrawal does not occur in isolation.
The Singapore field announced in August was substantially stronger than the one that ultimately began main-draw competition.
Jessica Pegula had originally been the leading entrant. The American withdrew before the tournament following a demanding North American hard-court stretch, which elevated Andreeva to the No. 1 seed.
Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anastasia Potapova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Clara Tauson and Mayar Sherif were also listed among the withdrawals in the WTA’s pre-tournament guide.
The WTA’s official Singapore tournament guide documented those changes before main-draw play began.
Indonesia’s Janice Tjen subsequently withdrew because of a right-wrist injury, another change examined in TSE’s Singapore opening-day analysis.
Anisimova now becomes another prominent absence, and this one arrived after the draw had already established her second-round opponent.
Singapore Originally Expected Anisimova to Be One of Its Headliners
The difference between the original field and the current draw is substantial.
When the WTA announced Singapore’s entry list in August, Pegula, Andreeva and Anisimova were the three highest-profile names at the top of the field. The tournament had also been upgraded from WTA 250 status in 2025 to WTA 500 status for 2026.
The WTA’s original entry announcement specifically promoted Pegula, Andreeva, Anisimova and Alexandra Eala as the headline attractions.
Pegula and Anisimova are now both absent.
Andreeva remains the No. 1 seed, while Eala is seeded third and carries considerable regional attention after a season in which her profile has risen sharply.
TSE has followed that rise closely. Eala’s first WTA title in Washington came after she defeated Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final, while her subsequent North American run formed part of TSE’s National Bank Open analysis.
The Left Wrist Has Already Interrupted Anisimova’s 2026 Season
The injury context deserves care because the exact diagnosis attached to Tuesday’s withdrawal has not been consistently reported.
What is established is that Anisimova dealt with a left-wrist injury earlier this year.
The WTA reported during Wimbledon that she had missed two months because of the injury before returning at Roland Garros. Her comments after losing to Madison Keys at Wimbledon reflected the difficulty she was having rediscovering her best tennis after the layoff.
That Wimbledon match is also part of TSE’s Day 6 coverage. Anisimova won the opening set against Keys before losing 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
It would be premature to assume that the Singapore withdrawal represents a major recurrence or predict how long she might be unavailable. No verified recovery timetable was available at publication.
Anisimova Had Rebuilt Momentum During the North American Swing
Her withdrawal is also significant because her hard-court form had shown signs of improvement before the US Open.
At Cincinnati, Anisimova reached the quarterfinals and pushed Pegula through three sets before losing 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4).
TSE’s Cincinnati quarterfinal report detailed how Anisimova recovered after losing the opening set and forced the match into a deciding tiebreak.
The previous round had produced an unusually strong American presence, with Anisimova, Pegula, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys all reaching the women’s quarterfinals. That run was covered in TSE’s Cincinnati Round of 16 analysis.
Her US Open ended earlier than she wanted, with Anastasia Potapova beating her in the third round. Singapore was supposed to provide the next competitive opportunity before the tour moved deeper into the Asian Swing.
What Does Anisimova’s Exit Mean for Talia Gibson?
Gibson’s immediate circumstances have changed dramatically.
She began the tournament needing to beat Ferro simply to earn a match against the No. 2 seed. Having done that, she was preparing for one of the more demanding second-round assignments available in the draw.
She will now face Morvayova instead.
The ranking and résumé difference between Anisimova and a lucky loser is obvious, but Gibson still has to adjust to a different opponent with little preparation time. Playing styles, serving patterns, return positions and rally tolerance all influence match preparation, so a late opponent change is not automatically straightforward.
What has changed is opportunity.
One of the tournament’s highest-ranked players no longer stands between Gibson and the next round.
Why the Top Half and Bottom Half Need to Be Read Carefully
Anisimova’s withdrawal is sometimes described simply as opening the draw, but the practical effect depends on where each player sits in the bracket.
Andreeva occupies the No. 1 position, while Anisimova was seeded No. 2. Those seedings are designed to place the two highest seeds in opposite halves, meaning Anisimova’s removal directly changes her half rather than Andreeva’s immediate route.
The consequences then spread through the quarter and section that would have fed toward Anisimova.
That matters for analyzing potential later-round matchups. It is more accurate to identify the specific section that has lost its highest seed than to suggest every leading player suddenly has an easier path.
Singapore has already shown how quickly women’s draws can shift. Wimbledon provided an even larger example earlier this season when multiple leading players disappeared from the same section. TSE examined that effect in its Wimbledon Day 6 analysis, where major exits rapidly changed the opportunity available to the remaining contenders.
Who Are the Leading Players Left in Singapore?
Andreeva remains the highest seed.
Eala, Elise Mertens, Maja Chwalinska, Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari and Donna Vekic are among the other seeded players in the field.
Mertens brings additional relevance because she is the defending Singapore champion, while Chwalinska entered this week after reaching the Roland Garros final earlier in the season.
Chwalinska has already started strongly. She defeated Rebecca Sramkova in 79 minutes in her opening match, a performance analyzed in TSE’s Singapore Open report.
Eala’s presence will also attract significant attention across Southeast Asia. Her breakthrough season has included the Washington championship and a major Wimbledon victory over Iga Swiatek, covered in TSE’s Wimbledon coverage.
What Comes Next for Amanda Anisimova?
The immediate question is whether the injury affects the remainder of her Asian Swing.
Singapore runs through September 27. The China Open follows in Beijing, with the WTA 1000 main draw beginning later this month, before another WTA 1000 in Wuhan.
Those tournaments carry considerably more ranking points and provide important opportunities late in the season.
No reliable timetable for Anisimova’s return had been announced when this article was prepared. Until one emerges, projecting her availability for Beijing or Wuhan would be speculation.
Fans can follow the next major tournaments through The Sports Encounter’s Upcoming Sports Encounters calendar, which currently lists the China Open as the next major tennis event after Singapore.
Why This Withdrawal Changes Singapore More Than an Ordinary Walkover
Anisimova’s absence removes a player the tournament had promoted as one of its headline entrants and eliminates the No. 2 seed before she could establish herself on court.
It also continues a sequence of withdrawals that has steadily altered Singapore’s competitive landscape since the original entry list was released.
Gibson now faces Morvayova instead of a world No. 11. The section that was expected to run through Anisimova no longer has its highest seed. And a WTA 500 tournament that began with significant ambitions for its upgraded field has lost another internationally recognized player.
The next important development will be medical rather than tactical: whether Anisimova’s withdrawal proves precautionary and short-lived, or whether it disrupts more of her Asian Swing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amanda Anisimova’s Singapore Withdrawal
Why did Amanda Anisimova withdraw from the Singapore Open?
Current reports cite a left-wrist injury, although one same-day report described the problem as a left-shoulder injury. Anisimova previously missed two months of the 2026 season with a left-wrist injury, but no detailed official medical update for the Singapore withdrawal was available at publication.
Was Amanda Anisimova seeded at the Singapore Tennis Open?
Yes. Anisimova was the No. 2 seed behind Mirra Andreeva.
What is Amanda Anisimova’s current ranking?
Anisimova entered the tournament ranked world No. 11.
Did Amanda Anisimova play a match in Singapore?
No. As the No. 2 seed, she received a first-round bye and withdrew before playing her scheduled second-round match.
Who was Amanda Anisimova supposed to play?
She was due to face Australia’s Talia Gibson, who advanced through the opening round by defeating Fiona Ferro.
Who replaces Amanda Anisimova in the Singapore draw?
Slovakia’s Viktoria Morvayova enters the draw as a lucky loser.
Who will Talia Gibson play instead?
Gibson is set to face Morvayova following Anisimova’s withdrawal.
Who is the top seed at the 2026 Singapore Open?
Mirra Andreeva is the No. 1 seed. She moved into that position after Jessica Pegula withdrew before the tournament.
Is the Singapore Tennis Open a WTA 500 tournament?
Yes. Singapore was upgraded from WTA 250 status in 2025 to WTA 500 status for 2026.
When is the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open final?
The singles final is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, at the OCBC Arena.