After making the 2024 US Open final and losing, Jessica Pegula opted against playing at the 2024 Korea Open in Seoul, which begins within a few days on September 16th.
The Korea Open is an upcoming WTA 500 event, which had a strong entry list just a few weeks ago. Some of the best players were supposed to play at the event, and while the draw remains strong days away from the start, it will miss quite a few players.
Only recently, Elena Rybakina withdrew from the event, continuing the uncertainty around her tennis career in recent weeks. Now, another one of the top seeds has dropped out, as Pegula won't play at the event.
It's not a major surprise; in fact, the most surprising thing about this withdrawal is that it came so late. Pegula played a lot of tennis in the past month, with three very deep runs.
She won the Canadian Open in Toronto, which was a very tricky run that took a lot of energy out of her. She then made the Cincinnati Open final, which was another impressive run, even though she couldn't win the trophy as Aryna Sabalenka took her out in the final.
Then, she had a week of rest during the final week ahead of the US Open. Pegula rested up well and played some amazing tennis in New York to finally make her maiden Grand Slam final.
Unfortunately, she ran into a very inspired Sabalenka, who was in no mood to lose that match, as she won it in two sets. It was a very competitive match as Pegula battled well, but overall, she didn't have enough to beat arguably the best player in the world right now.
The run and the weeks before were pretty exhausting, not just physically but also mentally. Losing in a Grand Slam final is not a loss an athlete can shake off in two days.
She will need a bit more, so playing in Seoul never made much sense, apart from the fact that the American player has Korean roots, and she certainly wanted to play in the country again.
Still, it was a bit interesting that the withdrawal came so late, which might indicate that Pegula thought about it, but fans will likely get a chance to see her again in Beijing and then maybe in Wuhan, as those events are WTA 1000 events.
She will also likely go to Tokyo because she won the event last year and would certainly like to be there as a defending champion. That will basically take care of most of the remaining calendar for the 30-year-old, as after that, there is only one event left to play for her, if she qualifies, the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Pegula was open-minded about Saudi Arabia hosting the event when asked about it, and as one of the more experienced players and voices, the American will certainly be on the lookout for how the tournament will unfold.
For now, she will rest up, and start preparing for her comeback, now as a Grand Slam finalist. When it comes to the Korea Open, Iga Swiatek will headline the tournament, with Amanda Anisimova making it to the main draw as a result of Pegula's withdrawal.
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