World No 1 Iga Swiatek and third-ranked Jessica Pegula have both withdrawn from the Adelaide International 2.
Swiatek, 21, pulled out of Adelaide 2 due to a right shoulder injury.
On the other side, Pegula’s United States defeated Poland on Saturday to progress into the United Cup final.
Due to the change of schedule, Pegula decided to withdraw from Adelaide 2.
Both Swiatek and Pegula withdrew late from Adelaide 2 since the draw was already made when they informed the tournament organizers they wouldn’t be able to play.
When the draw was made, Swiatek was the top seed while Pegula was the third-seeded player.
Swiatek got crushed by Pegula
On Friday, Pegula dismantled Swiatek with a 6-2 6-2 score at the United Cup.
After the match was over, Swiatek put a towel over her head and started crying.
When asked about what prompted such an emotional reaction, Swiatek admitted that she felt helpless against Pegula.
“Because I just knew that I felt kind of helpless today, because physically and mentally I wasn’t able to kind of show up even, and problem-solve. So it’s always hard when you lose, especially when you’re kind of playing for the team and your country. So I was just sad. But, you know, it’s not the first time I cried after a lost match. Nothing special,” Swiatek said after the match.
Last year, Swiatek dominated her matches against Pegula, beating the American four times in four straight sets.
But in her first match against Pegula in 2023, Swiatek didn’t enjoy much success.
“She’s one of the best players in the world so you have to be really on top of your game to win against Jessie. It was always like that, even last season. So I’m not surprised, because I know what she can do. I’m more surprised I just wasn’t able to step up to her game today,” Swiatek explained.