Jessica Pegula's season is over after she withdrew before her last WTA Finals round-robin match against Iga Swiatek with an injury.
The American was handed a challenging group of Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals. She probably would have needed her excellent tennis from the North American hardcourt swing to progress.
Pegula's chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals were very slim after two separate injury problems ruled her out of some tournaments after the Australian Open and then the entire European clay court swing.
However, the 30-year-old rebounded spectacularly after the Olympics in North America. Pegula retained her Canadian Open title after playing a superb third set in the final against Amanda Anisimova.
She backed that up by finishing as the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open. Pegula then progressed to her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open but again lost to Sabalenka in the final.
Although her level dropped somewhat during the Asian swing, Pegula's excellent tennis from the Canadian Open to the end of the US Open was still good enough to qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gauff, with whom Pegula played doubles at the Olympics, was her first opponent. Despite holding a 4-1 head-to-head record before the match, Gauff dominated the older American to triumph 6-3, 6-2.
That defeat meant Pegula needed to win the following match against Wimbledon champion Krejcikova to have a chance of qualifying for the semifinal of the tournament where she was the runner-up last year.
Unfortunately for Pegula, she was far below her usual level against the Czech. The two-time Canadian Open champion's hopes of progressing out of the group stage ended after a 3-6, 3-6 defeat.
There is an explanation for Pegula not producing her best tennis in either match at the WTA Finals. In her announcement about withdrawing from the tournament, the American stated that an injury flared up before her opening match.
"Just been kind of struggling with a little bit of an injury, and for whatever reason, it kind of really flared up this week. Not really sure why. In the few days before practice, it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match, and just feel ike I'm not feeling comfortable moving on court."
It is a shame that Pegula's WTA Finals campaign is ending on that note after she did so much incredible work during the North American hardcourt swing to qualify, but the 30-year-old has responded impressively to injuries in the past and probably will again.
Pegula's season is officially over because she withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals team a few days ago. Gauff and Emma Navarro will also not be at the event in Malaga, significantly weakening the US. team.
Daria Kasatkina replaces Pegula as an alternate. She won the Ningbo Open title last month, and her gritty and determined style usually provides a stern test to her opponents. Swiatek will likely have to work hard to win.