Gibson reaches Singapore Open final after Prozorova withdrawal

Australian Talia Gibson has reached her first tour-level singles final at the Singapore Open after Russian opponent Tatiana Prozorova withdrew before their semifinal. Gibson, 22, will face either French Open runner-up Maya Chwalinska or 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the final. She advanced without playing after Prozorova was ruled out following an incident in an earlier doubles match.

Prozorova was struck by a smash during the doubles contest and remained on court before taking a medical timeout. She later retired from the match with partner Sofya Lansere, handing victory to Australian Ellen Perez and Japan’s Miyu Kato. The Russian said on Instagram that the ball had mostly hit her shoulder and only grazed her cheek.

She said a physio insisted she leave the court for a medical timeout and that she subsequently struggled with part of a concussion assessment. Prozorova said she had spent more than three hours on court on each of the previous three days and found a one-leg exercise difficult. She said this was the only part of the test she did not complete successfully.

According to Prozorova, the physio told her she needed at least six days away from tennis and pressured her and her team during discussions with organisers. She said she felt well after following her normal recovery routine but argued that the WTA’s procedures left players unable to make their own decisions. The withdrawal ended what Prozorova described as her “dream week”.

She had defeated third seed Alex Eala earlier in the tournament before losing her chance to contest the semifinal against Gibson. The WTA had been contacted for comment. Prozorova said a six-day absence could also prevent her from qualifying for the China Open, which starts on September 30.