Gibson Into Singapore Final as Prozorova Withdrawal Sparks WTA Row

Prozorova ruled out — and hits back at the WTA

Talia Gibson is in the final of the Singapore Tennis Open presented by BNP Paribas after a semi-final that never took place. Tatiana Prozorova, her scheduled opponent, was ruled unable to compete under the WTA's concussion protocol following an incident during a doubles match on Friday — and responded with a pointed public attack on how the situation was managed.

The incident began when Prozorova was struck in the face by a ball during a doubles match earlier in the day. A tournament physio applied the tour's head-injury protocol; when Prozorova failed a balance exercise — the requirement to stand on one leg with her eyes closed — she was declared unfit for the singles semi-final and the walkover was awarded to Gibson.

Prozorova rejected the assessment immediately. "The ball grazed my cheek and hit my shoulder," she told reporters, arguing that the difficulty with the balance test was entirely down to fatigue accumulated over three consecutive singles matches lasting more than three hours apiece, not to any neurological impairment. She alleged that a physio had "pressured" her into pulling out and directed her criticism squarely at the WTA over the protocol's administration. Reports suggest she has submitted a formal complaint to the tour.

The controversy casts a shadow over what should have been a straightforward story of a young Australian reaching her first WTA final. Prozorova had been one of the week's breakthrough performers: her quarterfinal win over top seed Mirra Andreeva represented the biggest result of her career to date, and she arrived at the semi-finals with real momentum. To lose that opportunity without competing — and to do so through a disputed medical decision — is a significant sporting grievance regardless of the rights and wrongs of the protocol itself.

A career milestone for Gibson

For the 22-year-old Gibson, the walkover delivers a first. The Queenslander had earned her semi-final place in full, defeating former world number three Maria Sakkari in three demanding sets in the quarter-finals after wins earlier in the week. The walkover means she arrives at Sunday's final having played fewer matches in the second half of the draw than either player in the other semi-final — something she will be well aware of and will need to manage mentally.

Her quality over the first four days was not in question. She competed consistently against opponents ranked well above her and showed no particular weakness that a final-day opponent could specifically target.

Fernandez and Chwalinska play for the other final spot

In the second semi-final, wild card Leylah Fernandez faces Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska. Fernandez has produced the tournament's headline moment, knocking out Andreeva 6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals in what the Canadian called her best performance of the 2026 season. Chwalinska has been equally dominant, dismissing Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-2 without dropping a set.

Sunday's final is scheduled to begin in the afternoon at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, is hunting a first title of 2026. Chwalinska, fresh from her Roland Garros run, is bidding to prove her clay-season form carries across surfaces. Gibson, whatever the method of arrival, will be a difficult opponent for either on a fast indoor hard court.

The WTA has not publicly commented on Prozorova's allegations. The question of how its concussion protocol applies to players competing in both singles and doubles on the same day is one the tour is now under pressure to address formally.