Tatiana Prozorova said she was forced to withdraw from her Singapore Open women’s singles semifinal after a ball off an opponent’s smash hit her face during a doubles match on Friday night.
Prozorova and her partner Sofya Lansere were three points away from losing their quarterfinal match before Japan’s Miyu Kato inadvertently hit her.
‘Guys, unfortunately, the organizers withdrew me from the WTA Singapore Open 500 [semifinal match],’ Prozorova posted on Instagram.
‘Today, during the doubles match, one of the opponents hit a smash in my direction; it grazed my cheek and hit my shoulder. Things like that happen sometimes.’
The 22-year-old Prozorova received medical attention before retiring from the doubles match and was later pulled out of her singles semifinal duel against Australia’s Talia Gibson. Gibson is now in the final via walkover and will face the winner between Leylah Fernandez and Maja Chwalinska.
According to the WTA, Prozorova was ‘clinically assessed by the WTA’s on-site sports medicine team and the Tournament Physician’ and was ruled unfit to compete.
‘Under the WTA Physical Incapacity Rule and Concussion Protocol, a player who is diagnosed with a concussion is not permitted to compete and will be ruled physically unable to do so,’ the WTA said in a statement emailed to the Inquirer.
‘The player may only return to competition once they have successfully completed the required graduated return-to-play protocol and have received appropriate medical clearance. This process is designed to protect the player’s health and safety and to reduce the risk associated with returning to competition before adequate recovery.’
The WTA’s decision did not sit well with Prozorova after her impressive campaign in Singapore came to an abrupt end.
‘The organizers’ decision really upset me. My dream week came to an today,’ she said.
Prozorova also called out the WTA for an ‘overreach of authority’ and urged the organizing body of women’s tennis to ‘reconsider your own rules.’
The WTA, however, stressed that player health and safety are their ‘highest priority.’
‘We fully understand that players want to compete whenever possible. However, following a head injury, our medical teams have a responsibility to protect player health and welfare and to follow established concussion protocols and internationally recognized guidelines when determining a player’s return to competition.’
‘Return-to-play recommendations are determined on an individual basis and kept under medical review. We will continue to support Tatiana and wish her a full and speedy recovery.’
Prozorova is on the entry list for the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing, which begins on Wednesday.
The Russian World No. 180 is playing her best tennis, advancing to her first-ever tour-level semifinal after upsetting Alex Eala in the round of 16 on Thursday and China’s Wang Xinyu in the quarterfinals on Friday.