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Jessica Pegula's withdrawal from the 2024 WTA Finals ahead of her final match against Iga Swiatek has left a bad taste in tennis fans' mouths. The American, who was already eliminated, is set to be replaced by Daria Kasatkina.
Things didn't go well for the 30-year-old from the get-go as she got decimated 3-6, 2-6 by Gauff in the opening match, following which she had another disastrous outing against Krejcikova 3-6, 3-6. These results put her out of contention for the semifinal spot at the WTA Finals.
Ahead of her match against Swiatek, Pegula pulled out of the event due to a knee injury. Kasatkina will replace the American for the final group-stage match.
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Jessica Pegula's decision disappointed fans who felt that a fresh Kasatkina facing Swiatek in a do-or-die match for the Pole was unfair. They took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their frustration. One was upset this situation wasn't favorable for the World No. 2:
"Not fair for iga, coco and barbora agains jess but iga agains new fresh energy."
"This is embarrassing. The governing tennis bodies need to come together and stop all the retired matches / withdrawals that continue to happen. Many are just, but plenty seem to be as a result of 'poor sports,'" another said.
"She doesn’t want a 🍩 record in WTA Finals history," a third fan said.
Here are some other reactions:
"After helping your friend have a super eash win, thanks. Too late 🙄," a fan said.
"Another vlog from Dasha at this year’s finals in Riyadh coming soon?" another said.
"Peggy got tired of playing in that empty stadium," yet another said.
Pegula qualified for the year-end finals on the back of a stellar 2024 campaign in which she lifted titles in Berlin and Toronto and made it to the finals of the US Open. These results helped achieve her sixth seeding and she was placed alongside Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Barbora Krejcikova in the orange group.
Jessica Pegula on withdrawing from the WTA Finals - "I just can't continue"
Jessica Pegula took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce to her fans the reason for her withdrawal:
"What started as a really small issue flared over the last two matches and I just can’t continue tomorrow. I’m sorry to the fans and tournament. I really had a great week of prep and had high hopes here but it just wasn’t meant to be. Thank you for the warm welcome Riyadh @WTAFinalsRiyadh."
Pegula's withdrawal means that Iga Swiatek will have to win her match against Daria Kasatkina and hope that Barbora Krejcikova loses to Coco Gauff to qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals.
