Rising WTA player Sara Bejlek has become the latest withdrawal from the Singapore Open as the Asian Swing draws closer.

The WTA 500 event begins on 21 September and is headed by French Open champion Mirra Andreeva. The field also features former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova, while Alex Eala is the third seed. Maja Chwalinska, who reached the French Open final, is among the top eight seeds, and Leylah Fernandez enters as the sixth seed with a wildcard. Defending champion Elise Mertens will also return to the event, which has now been upgraded from WTA 250 status.

The tournament has shifted from its previous slot in late January and early February to an indoor hard court setting in late September.

Bejlek’s absence is a notable one. The 20-year-old has produced a strong 2026 season, winning her first WTA Tour title in Abu Dhabi in February and reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati last month. That run included victories over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, two-time major champion Barbara Krejcikova, and former Australian Open winner Madison Keys. She began the year ranked 76th and has since climbed to a career-high of 28. Among players under 21, only Andreeva, Iva Jovic, and Victoria Mboko are ranked higher.

Bejlek now appears set to miss Singapore after her quarter-final run in Guadalajara. There is no indication of injury, and on Friday she posted several Instagram photos from her time at the Mexican event. Tatiana Prozorova has replaced her in the draw.

Jessica Pegula is another major absentee after saying she withdrew because of a “ long and physically demanding few weeks “. Other withdrawals include Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cîrstea, Anastasia Potapova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ann Li, and Clara Tauson.

Andy Roddick has identified the third-round meeting between Alex Eala and Iva Jovic as one of his favourite matches from the US Open.

The two friends had already shared court during US Open Fan Week on Arthur Ashe Stadium, when they played a practice set and both of their fathers briefly joined them on court. Jovic won that exhibition 6-3, continuing a strong run in the rivalry after straight-set victories over Eala at the French Open and Queen’s Club earlier in the year. Across those two matches, the Filipina managed only 10 games in total.

Their night-session clash at Flushing Meadows told a different story. In front of the crowd, Eala and Jovic produced a demanding three-set battle that lasted three hours, with the American eventually edging it 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Jovic then fell to Coco Gauff in the following round.

Even so, Roddick was deeply impressed by both players, who are inside the WTA Tour’s top 20. Eala, 21, and Jovic, 18, have drawn attention for their rapid rise, and Roddick believes the sport benefits from their presence at this level.

On Served, he said, “You know what match was one of my favourites of the entire tournament? Eala and Jovic. Do you want two prospects who can be at the business end of a Slam one year? Yes.

“Do you want them to have their first big night stage session and let them carry it? Check. Do you want them to be gracious, classy and compete their a**** off? Check. Do we want to raise their profile so we have megastars in the game? Yes.

“Do you want one to be humbled by the victory and one to be gutted by defeat but in the right way and still go hug her? Yeah. They did themselves such a service. That was probably my favourite moment of the first week.”

Eala has been described as the WTA Tour’s brightest emerging star, while Jovic is actually two places higher in the rankings at No 16 compared with Eala’s No 18. For Roddick, their performance on one of the tournament’s biggest stages offered a promising sign for women’s tennis.

Rafael Nadal has spent much of his retirement away from tennis, with only rare brief returns to the sport he ruled for almost 20 years. Since stepping away after the Davis Cup in 2022, he has not played an exhibition match, although that will change at his own academy this autumn.

As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Rafael Nadal Academy, Nadal has been confirmed for a series of exhibition matches in Manorca on Saturday, October 3rd. A press release says he could be joined by some of the sport’s biggest names, though his opponents have not yet been announced.

For Nadal, the occasion will bring another first. It will be the first time he has appeared in front of a live crowd since representing Spain in the 2024 Davis Cup, and ticket-sale details are expected in the coming days.

The academy itself was launched in 2016, when Nadal was still at the height of his playing career. Since then, it has become a major development base for players across the ATP and WTA Tours. Alexandra Eala trained there in Manacor and met her coach, Joan Bosch, during her time at the academy. She returned ahead of this year’s European clay court swing and practised alongside former world No 1 Iga Swiatek.

Casper Ruud, Jaume Munar, Solana Sierra, and Coleman Wong have also spent time at the academy before going on to achieve notable success on the ATP and WTA Tours.

In recent years, the academy has expanded well beyond its original home. By 2026, it also has bases in Costa Mujeres, Greece, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Marbella, Egypt, and Punta Cana, in addition to Manacor. Nadal has said he will not work as a full-time coach for a player on the professional circuit, but the academy continues to reflect his influence on the next generation.

Fans unable to attend the event in Spain will be able to watch the Rafael Nadal Academy Slam on Movistar Plus.