Emma Raducanu’s comeback from a stress fracture in her lower leg is still unfolding, but a return this month now appears to have been pushed back.

The British player picked up the injury during her run to the final of the WTA 500 event at the Queen’s Club in June, and her recovery has been handled carefully ever since. When the Beijing entry list was released earlier this month, Raducanu remained on it, which raised the possibility that she could be ready to compete at the WTA 1000 event in China.

That prospect has since faded. Her name is no longer on the Beijing list, a clear sign that she is not yet prepared to return to match play. Last week, she shared footage of a practice session at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, showing her serving into an empty court, which suggested she was still at an early stage of her comeback work.

Given the nature of the injury, the cautious approach is no surprise. A stress fracture in the leg is not something that can be rushed, and Raducanu will need time before she can safely build back toward competition.

Former world No 1 Andy Roddick was among those who voiced concern about the length of her absence. “We might not even see her for the rest of this year,” said Roddick on his podcast.

“It just stinks because she is so good and it’s just the stop and start of things. You can’t get around a stress fracture, that’s not a pain tolerance thing at all.

“It has to heal or you are going to cause extreme long-term damage. It just stinks. She could be such a bright spot for the Tours and it just seems like there are speed bumps all the time, which is just unfortunate.

“It sucks. I hope she gets better. She was playing great at Queen’s too, like she was going to blow the roof off of Wimbledon. She is so good and so injured all the time.

“It’s got to be kind of depressing for her too. I keep thinking we are going to get six months where we are going to be able to go and play and do all the things and we are just not able to get it, which is unfortunate.”

Since her US Open breakthrough five years ago, Raducanu’s career has repeatedly been interrupted, and her ranking has slipped after this latest spell out. She is currently No 89, and if she does not play again in 2026, more ranking points will fall away and the slide will continue.

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula will be the leading name at the 2026 Singapore Open, with Mirra Andreeva and Alexandra Eala also set to appear at the WTA 500 event.

Once the 2026 Grand Slam season closed with the US Open, attention shifted back to the WTA Tour, with most of the leading players due to return next week. Singapore is one of the first stops in that reset.

This will be only the second staging of the tournament, which began in 2025, but it arrives in a different form this time. The event has moved on the calendar and has also been upgraded from WTA 250 to WTA 500 status. It is scheduled for 21 to 27 September at the Kallang Tennis Hub.

Elise Mertens, who won the inaugural edition by beating Ann Li in the final, is due back in Singapore to defend her title.

The draw will feature 28 players in singles, with 20 direct places coming through WTA Rankings. Four wildcards are still to be confirmed, while the remaining four spots will be filled through qualifying. The top eight ranked players in the main draw will be seeded, and Pegula leads the field as the No. 1 seed. Andreeva, ranked No. 5, will anchor the bottom half as the second seed.

They are joined by Amanda Anisimova, Eala, Mertens, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Maja Chwalinska and Sara Bejlek. Because the event has moved up to WTA 500 level, the top four seeds will receive byes.

The draw is expected on Friday, 18 September, three days before first-round play begins.

There have already been withdrawals from the entry list, with Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Anastasia Potapova and Clara Tauson all pulling out.

Jessica Pegula may still be searching for a first Grand Slam title, but her 2026 campaign has been a model of consistency and output.

The American has already reached two Grand Slam semi finals, doing so at the Australian Open and the US Open, while also advancing to the quarter finals of Wimbledon. She has added titles at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Charleston Open, and has also reached three more WTA Tour finals this season.

That run has now given Pegula a statistic that stands above both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka and Rybakina have shared one of the season’s main rivalries, meeting in the finals of the Australian Open and the US Open. Even so, Pegula now has more victories across the year than either of the Grand Slam champions.

Pegula claimed her 50th win of the season by defeating Emma Navarro in the quarter finals of the US Open, moving clear at the top of the WTA Tour’s victory table. Rybakina is just behind on 49, while Sabalenka has 46.

The numbers also reflect workload. Pegula has compiled her 50 wins in 63 matches. Rybakina has 49 wins from 62 matches, and Sabalenka has collected 46 wins from 55 matches this season. Sabalenka has had difficult spells during the year, but her total remains impressive.

Behind the leading three, Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva has 44 wins, while Elina Svitolina has 43. Alexandra Eala, who topped the victories list earlier in the season after winning the Washington Open, is now seventh with 40.

Pegula is next scheduled to play the Singapore Open, which begins on 21st September. Rybakina and Sabalenka are due back at the China Open, the penultimate Masters tournament on the WTA Tour.

Pegula is currently third in the race for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, and is well placed to qualify again for the event scheduled for November 8th to 15th.