Singapore Tennis Open 2026 begins with qualifying at OCBC Arena, Andreeva takes over as top seed
The Singapore Tennis Open presented by BNP Paribas enters its most important week of 2026 with qualifying matches on September 19 and 20 at OCBC Arena, in The Kallang complex in Singapore. The main WTA 500 tournament is played from September 21 to 27, and this is the first edition of the Singapore tournament since its upgrade from WTA 250 to WTA 500 level. According to official WTA data, the singles main draw will feature 28 players, while 16 teams are scheduled to compete in doubles. The tournament is played indoors on hard courts, and the singles final is scheduled for September 27, not before 5 p.m. local time. The organizers have opened qualifying to the public free of charge, subject to the venue's available capacity.
The biggest change at the top of the draw occurred immediately before the start of the tournament. Jessica Pegula, who according to the previously published entry list was expected to be the top seed, withdrew from Singapore after a very demanding North American part of the season. The WTA announced that the American cited physically demanding weeks following the US Open and an assessment that she is not yet ready to return to competition at the level she expects of herself. As a result, top-seed status was taken over by Mirra Andreeva, the world No. 5 according to the current ranking stated in the WTA's tournament preview. Amanda Anisimova, Alexandra Eala, defending champion Elise Mertens and two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková also remain in the field, meaning the Singapore lineup has retained a number of highly recognizable names even after several withdrawals.
Andreeva at the top of the draw after Pegula's withdrawal
Pegula's withdrawal changes the tournament's initial hierarchy, but also directs even more attention toward Andreeva. According to the WTA, Pegula was the world No. 3 before deciding to withdraw, and during the North American swing she reached the finals in Washington and Cincinnati, the round of 16 in Toronto and the semifinals of the US Open. During that period, she recorded 15 wins and four losses, while at the time her withdrawal was announced she led the Tour with a total of 50 wins for the season. She explained the decision herself by citing the need for additional recovery after demanding weeks, while the WTA reported that she still plans to compete at the China Open at the end of September. For the Singapore Tennis Open, her absence means that the first position in the draw belongs to Andreeva, who arrives in Singapore as one of the leading players of the current season.
Andreeva's role in Singapore is further emphasized by the results she has achieved during 2026. In its official tournament preview, the WTA lists her as the Roland Garros champion and the top seed in a field of 28 players. The format of that draw provides for the four highest-seeded players to receive first-round byes and begin their campaigns in the round of 16. This reduces the number of matches the seeds must play to reach the closing stages, but at the same time increases the importance of their opening appearance, because an early defeat immediately brings a serious loss of points in the final phase of the season. Given that the Singapore Tennis Open opens the Asian part of the calendar, results at OCBC Arena may also play an important role in the battle for ranking positions that determine qualification for the season-ending tournaments.
Strong field despite a series of changes to the entry list
In its tournament preview, the WTA confirmed that alongside Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, Alexandra Eala and Elise Mertens are expected in the main draw, all of them Top 20 players heading into Singapore week. The field also includes Maja Chwalinska, Barbora Krejčíková, Maria Sakkari, Janice Tjen, Donna Vekić, Wang Xinyu and Oleksandra Oliynykova, while a number of players who were not originally among the direct entrants also entered the tournament following subsequent changes. Alongside Pegula, the WTA listed Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anastasia Potapova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Clara Tauson and Mayar Sherif among the withdrawals. Players subsequently given places in the main draw included Daria Kasatkina, Talia Gibson, Alycia Parks, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Sofia Costoulas, Tatiana Prozorova, Linda Fruhvirtova and Kristina Mladenovic. The final first-round schedule will depend on the main-draw ceremony and the outcome of qualifying.
The regional context is further highlighted by Alexandra Eala and Janice Tjen, while on September 16 The Kallang also announced that Leylah Fernandez had accepted a wild card into the main draw. The organizers at the time listed Andreeva as the world No. 5 and Fernandez as No. 31 in the WTA rankings. Such a combination of established Grand Slam champions, finalists at major tournaments, current Top 20 players and players with strong regional connections gives the tournament broader sporting significance beyond the battle for the trophy itself. It is also important for the organizers that the 2026 edition is being held on a larger stage than last year, meaning the tournament is simultaneously testing a new level of spectator interest. The larger capacity of OCBC Arena should allow more spectators than the 2025 edition, which was held at Kallang Tennis Hub.
Singapore Tennis Open is now a WTA 500 and opens the Asian part of the season
The upgrade of the Singapore Tennis Open from WTA 250 to WTA 500 is one of the key changes in the 2026 calendar. According to The Kallang, after a successful return to the WTA Tour in 2025, the tournament was awarded a higher category and became the only WTA 500 event in Southeast Asia. In June, the organizers stated that the Singapore Tennis Open had joined the 18 tournaments at that level on the global WTA calendar, alongside well-known stops such as Brisbane and Charleston. The higher category means more ranking points, a larger prize fund and, as a rule, a stronger entry field than at WTA 250 level. The WTA officially lists the tournament's total financial commitment as US$1,206,446.
The Singapore singles champion will earn 500 points and US$185,500, according to the WTA's official tournament overview. The runner-up receives 325 points and US$114,500, the semifinalists 195 points and US$66,003 each, and the quarterfinalists 108 points and US$35,000 each. The second round offers 60 points and US$18,045, while players defeated in the first round receive one point and US$13,005. These amounts illustrate the difference compared with the 2025 edition, when the Singapore Tennis Open had a total financial commitment of US$275,094 as a WTA 250-level tournament. The category change is therefore not merely a marketing label, but brings significantly greater sporting and financial value to every advance through the draw.
Qualifying on September 19 and 20 has free admission
The competitive program begins with qualifying on Saturday, September 19, and concludes the following day, when the four qualifiers for the main draw will be known. The Kallang confirmed that admission to the qualifying matches is free, with spectators admitted according to available capacity. This model allows the public to see players competing for one of the final places in the main tournament as early as the weekend, before first-round matches begin on Monday, September 21. The WTA also announced a main-draw ceremony for Saturday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. Singapore time. Only after qualifying is completed will all the names in the 28-player draw be known.
The official structure of the main tournament is spread across seven days. The first round is played on September 21 and 22, the second round on September 23 and 24, the quarterfinals on September 25 and the semifinals on September 26. The singles final is scheduled for September 27 and should not begin before 5 p.m. local time. The doubles final is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on the same day, while the earlier doubles rounds are played from September 21 to 26. Singapore uses the GMT+8 time zone throughout the year, so international viewers following broadcasts and the daily schedule need to convert the times to their own local zones.
Mertens defends the title, but in a significantly different tournament environment
Elise Mertens returns to Singapore as the defending champion, but the circumstances are significantly different from February 2025. At that time, the Belgian player, as the second seed, defeated Ann Li 6-1, 6-4 in the final and won her ninth WTA singles title. The WTA classified that tournament as a WTA 250 event on hard courts, with a 32-player main draw and a total financial commitment of US$275,094. After the conclusion of the 2025 edition, The Kallang announced that almost 22,000 people had visited Kallang Tennis Hub during the nine days of the tournament and accompanying activities. That result was an important foundation for the more ambitious 2026 edition and the move of the main event to OCBC Arena.
The return of professional women's tennis to Singapore also has a broader historical context. The WTA states that the 2025 Singapore Tennis Open marked the city's return to the regular calendar after a period in which Singapore hosted the WTA Finals from 2014 to 2018. The Kallang also recalls that the history of major women's tennis events in the city stretches back to the Singapore Women's Open in 1986. The current project therefore combines the legacy of major season-ending tournaments with a new permanent place on the annual WTA schedule. By moving up to WTA 500 level, Singapore now joins the group of tournaments that have a more prominent role in the distribution of ranking points and the shaping of the season's closing stages.
OCBC Arena becomes the center of a broader tennis festival
In 2026, the tournament is being presented not only as a week of professional matches but as part of a broader program at The Kallang. The organizers have announced free match screenings, meetings with players and ambassadors, tennis clinics and various activities for visitors throughout the complex. At the same time, the Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup, a regional competition open to the public free of charge, will be held at Kallang Tennis Hub from September 23 to 26. This schedule allows the professional WTA tournament and development programs to be located in the same sporting area, together with activities that are not limited solely to holders of tickets for the main court. The Kallang describes this approach as an attempt to involve the wider public in tennis week.
For visitors arriving from outside Singapore, it is practical to plan their arrival according to the schedule of the rounds they wish to attend, because the tournament runs from qualifying on September 19 through the final on September 27. Tickets for the main tournament are sold for individual sessions as well as in daily and multi-day options, while the WTA's official tournament page links directly to ticket sales. Those planning to follow the event for several days can also check accommodation offers in Singapore near The Kallang, especially for the final weekend when the semifinals and both finals are scheduled. Because qualifying offers free admission subject to available capacity, the same type of ticket as for the main tournament is not required. The organizers and the WTA publish the exact match and court schedule through the daily order of play.
Singapore opens the final Asian stretch of the WTA season
The Singapore Tennis Open and Korea Open begin in the same week, taking the WTA Tour into the Asian stretch of the final part of the season. Singapore is followed by the China Open in Beijing, and the points earned during those weeks are particularly important for players fighting for places at the season-ending tournaments or seeking to improve their year-end ranking positions. In its official preview, the WTA explicitly describes Singapore as one of the opening stops of the Asian Swing, while the tournament's new WTA 500 category gives it greater weight within that series. For Andreeva, Anisimova, Eala, Mertens and the other leading participants, this represents an opportunity to earn a significant number of points right at the beginning of the Asian part of the calendar. For the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open, it is simultaneously the first true test of the tournament's new level, the larger space at OCBC Arena and the expectations that come with WTA 500 status.
Sources:
- Women's Tennis Association – official guide to the Singapore Tennis Open 2026, dates, round schedule, draw size, seeds, player list and prize money (link)
- Women's Tennis Association – announcement of Jessica Pegula's withdrawal and Mirra Andreeva taking over top-seed status (link)
- Women's Tennis Association – official tournament page with WTA 500 category, surface, draw size and total financial commitment (link)
- The Kallang – information on free admission to qualifying, the tennis festival, public program and wild card for Leylah Fernandez (link)
- The Kallang – announcement of the tournament's upgrade from WTA 250 to WTA 500 and its place on the global calendar (link)
- The Kallang – information on the larger capacity of OCBC Arena, free qualifying and ticket types for the main tournament (link)
- The Kallang – historical overview of women's tennis in Singapore and the context of the tournament's development (link)
- Women's Tennis Association – report on the 2025 final and Elise Mertens' title against Ann Li (link)
- The Kallang – attendance figures for the 2025 edition and the tournament's final results (link)