Singapore Tennis Open semi-finalist says she was forced to pull out after being hit in face by ball

Russia's Tatiana Prozorova in action at the Singapore Tennis Open on Sept 25.

Published Sep 26, 2026, 10:30 AM

Updated Sep 26, 2026, 01:03 PM

SINGAPORE – Just hours after surviving a marathon match to reach the semi-finals of the Singapore Tennis Open presented by BNP Paribas, Tatiana Prozorova has become the latest player to pull out of the tournament , claiming she was pressured into doing so.

In an Instagram post at around 11pm on Sept 25, organisers said the Russian “has withdrawn from her singles semi-final due to injury”.

The last-four clash was scheduled to take place on Sept 26.

Organisers added that Australia’s Talia Gibson will now advance to the final by walkover, where she will face either Canada’s Leylah Fernandez or Maja Chwalinska of Poland.

Prozorova claimed on Instagram that she had been “pressured” to withdraw by a WTA Tour physiotherapist after she was struck in the face by a smash during a doubles match on Sept 25, and called the decision an “overreach of authority”.

The Russian paired up with compatriot Sofya Lansere in the women’s doubles quarter-finals against Miyu Kato and Ellen Perez on Sept 25, but Prozorova and her partner had to retire while trailing 7-5, 5-2 after she was hit in the face by a ball.

Prozorova said the smash “grazed my cheek and hit my shoulder” but “things like that happen sometimes”. She added that she then did a balance exercise as part of an off-court check.

She posted on her Instagram Stories: “The physio called to the court insisted on taking me off-court to run a specific test. Unfortunately I didn’t know I could refuse.

“The test wasn’t easy. Given that I’d spent over three hours on court each of the last three days, I was fatigued, and I struggled with some of the exercises – like standing on one leg with my eyes closed. To be honest, even when I’m fresh and well-rested, I find that difficult anyway. I explained this to the physio, too.

“Of all the exercises, that was the one they weren’t happy with, even though I passed all the others.”

She added that it meant her “dream week came to an end today”.

Said Prozorova: “My team and I had a long discussion with the organisers; throughout the process, the physio pressured everyone present and even claimed I wasn’t capable of taking responsibility for my own life. The organisers’ decision really upset me.”

She later clarified in another Instagram story that “the organisers fought for my right to continue competing in the tournament, but ultimately, the decision was made by the WTA”.

The world No. 180’s Singapore Tennis Open last-four run was the best tournament performance of the 22-year-old’s career so far.

Prozorova said she “felt great” after completing a recovery session and having dinner following her doubles match and called on the WTA “to reconsider your own rules”.

She claimed that “the physio made it clear I wouldn’t be allowed to play until six days had passed” and said that this now jeopardised her participation in the China Open, which begins next week. Said the Russian: “It is completely absurd and an overreach of authority by the WTA staff member.” In response to queries from The Straits Times, the WTA said that Prozorova was clinically assessed by its on-site sports medicine team and the tournament physician after the incident. “Under the WTA Physical Incapacity Rule and Concussion Protocol, a player who is diagnosed with a concussion is not permitted to compete and will be ruled physically unable to do so,” it explained. “The player may only return to competition once they have successfully completed the required graduated return-to-play protocol and have received appropriate medical clearance. “This process is designed to protect the player’s health and safety and to reduce the risk associated with returning to competition before adequate recovery.” It added that following a head injury, its medical teams have a responsibility to protect player health and welfare and to follow established concussion protocols and internationally recognised guidelines when determining a player’s return to competition. Return-to-play recommendations are determined on an individual basis and kept under medical review.

On Sept 25, Prozorova battled through her third marathon match, taking 181 minutes to overcome China’s Wang Xinyu 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

On Sept 24, Prozorova beat Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala in 189 minutes and also endured a 2hr 51min three-set battle against Sofia Costoulas on Sept 22.

The WTA 500 event had also been hit with the withdrawals of second seed Amanda Anisimova and two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova earlier in the week.

Their withdrawals follow that of world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who pulled out on Sept 16.

Some commenters on Singapore Tennis Open’s post announcing Prozorova’s withdrawal appeared to be seeking refunds but were unsure if they were entitled to one.

One said: “Got the tickets for the SF 1st session but there is no Singles SF since one player withdrawal, what should I do with my tickets???”

However, another replied: “You can refund it, e-mails sent last night.”

Sports and recreation

9月25日，俄罗斯选手塔季扬娜·普罗佐罗娃在新加坡网球公开赛上比赛。

发布于2026年9月26日上午10:30

更新于2026年9月26日下午1:03

新加坡——在经历了一场马拉松式的比赛，晋级由法国巴黎银行赞助的新加坡网球公开赛半决赛仅仅几个小时后，塔蒂亚娜·普罗佐罗娃就成为最新一位退出该项赛事的球员，她声称自己是被迫退出的。

9 月 25 日晚上 11 点左右，赛事组织者在 Instagram 上发帖称，这位俄罗斯选手“因伤退出了单打半决赛”。

四强赛原定于9月26日举行。

组织者补充说，澳大利亚选手塔利亚·吉布森将因对手弃权而晋级决赛，决赛中她将对阵加拿大选手莱拉·费尔南德斯或波兰选手玛雅·赫瓦林斯卡。

普罗佐罗娃在 Instagram 上声称，9 月 25 日她在一场双打比赛中被扣杀击中面部后，受到 WTA 巡回赛理疗师的“压力”而退出比赛，并称这一决定是“权力滥用”。

9月25日，俄罗斯选手普罗佐罗娃与同胞索菲娅·兰塞雷搭档，在女子双打四分之一决赛中对阵加藤美优和艾伦·佩雷斯。但普罗佐罗娃和她的搭档在以7-5、5-2落后时，因被球击中面部而被迫退赛。

普罗佐罗娃说，那次扣杀“擦伤了我的脸颊，打到了我的肩膀”，但“这种事有时会发生”。她还补充说，作为场外检查的一部分，她随后做了平衡练习。

她在Instagram Stories上发帖说：“球场请来的理疗师坚持要带我下场做一项特定的测试。不幸的是，我不知道我可以拒绝。”

“这次测试并不轻松。过去三天我每天都要在球场上待三个多小时，所以很疲惫，有些练习对我来说很吃力——比如闭着眼睛单腿站立。说实话，即使我精神饱满、休息充足，这些练习对我来说也很困难。我也跟理疗师解释过这一点。”

“在所有考核项目中，他们唯独对这一项不满意，尽管我其他所有考核都通过了。”

她补充说，这意味着她的“梦幻一周今天结束了”。

普罗佐罗娃说：“我和我的团队与组委会进行了长时间的讨论；在此过程中，理疗师给在场的每个人都施加了压力，甚至声称我无法为自己的生命负责。组委会的决定真的让我很沮丧。”

她后来在另一条 Instagram 动态中澄清说：“组织者为我争取继续参加比赛的权利，但最终，决定是由 WTA 做出的。”

世界排名第180位的选手在新加坡网球公开赛上打入四强，这是这位22岁选手职业生涯迄今为止的最佳赛事成绩。

普罗佐罗娃表示，在完成恢复训练并在双打比赛后享用晚餐后，她“感觉很好”，并呼吁WTA“重新考虑自己的规则”。

她声称“理疗师明确表示，六天之内不允许我参赛”，并表示这危及了她参加下周开幕的中国网球公开赛。这位俄罗斯选手说：“这完全是荒谬的，是WTA工作人员越权行事。” 针对《海峡时报》的询问，WTA回应称，事发后，普罗佐罗娃接受了现场运动医学团队和赛事医生的临床评估。WTA解释说：“根据WTA的身体能力丧失规则和脑震荡协议，被诊断为脑震荡的球员不得参赛，并将被判定为身体无法参赛。球员只有在成功完成规定的分阶段复出协议并获得相应的医疗许可后才能重返赛场。这一流程旨在保护球员的健康和安全，并降低在未充分康复的情况下重返赛场所带来的风险。”声明补充道，球员头部受伤后，其医疗团队有责任保护球员的健康和福祉，并在决定球员何时可以重返赛场时，遵循既定的脑震荡处理流程和国际公认的指导方针。重返赛场的建议将根据个人情况而定，并接受医疗评估。

9月25日，普罗佐罗娃经历了她的第三场马拉松式比赛，在四分之一决赛中，她用了181分钟以3-6、7-5、6-4的比分战胜了中国选手王心宇。

9 月 24 日，普罗佐罗娃用 189 分钟击败了菲律宾新星亚历山德拉·埃拉；9 月 22 日，她还与索菲亚·科斯图拉斯进行了一场耗时 2 小时 51 分钟的三盘大战。

本周早些时候，WTA 500 赛事还遭遇了二号种子阿曼达·阿尼西莫娃和两届大满贯冠军巴博拉·克雷吉科娃的退赛。

继世界排名第三的杰西卡·佩古拉于 9 月 16 日退赛之后，她们也相继退赛。

在新加坡网球公开赛官方宣布普罗佐罗娃退赛的帖子下，一些评论者似乎在寻求退款，但不确定自己是否有权获得退款。

一位网友说：“我买了半决赛第一场的票，但是因为有一名选手退赛，单打半决赛取消了，我的票怎么办？？？”

然而，另一位用户回复道：“可以退款，昨晚已发送邮件。”

体育和休闲