Jessica Pegula will miss the upcoming WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai with a neck injury.
Pegula, ranked No.4 this week, was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek last year in Doha, when it was a 500-level tournament. She also reached the semifinals in Dubai. Pegula and Coco Gauff are also the two-time defending doubles champions in Qatar.
Pegula joins her American compatriot, Madison Keys, along with Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic as high-profile names to miss February's swing through the Middle East. Keys is nursing a shoulder injury, which forced her to miss the Australian Open, while Kvitova and Bencic are on maternity leave.
After losing in the second round in Melbourne to France's Clara Burel, Pegula withdrew from the doubles event, where she and Gauff were in the draw as the top seeds. Pegula has not played since. She had previously been forced to withdraw ahead of her semifinal match at the Adelaide International with a stomach illness.
Pegula remains on the entry list for the WTA 500 event in San Diego, which is set to begin on Feb. 26.
