She later went on to work for Tennis Canada, becoming tournament director of the Canadian Open. She joined the WTA in 2006 as president, working under the chief executive Larry Scott, and was promoted to the top post in July 2009 after Scott left to become commissioner of what was then the Pacific-10 Conference.

Under Scott, the WTA signed an $88 million title sponsorship deal with Sony Ericsson that originally ran until 2010 and was the largest in women’s sports history. It was later extended for two years, but Allaster was unable to find a new lead global sponsor after it expired.

She did, however, sign a widely hailed five-year agreement with the city of Singapore to stage the season-ending WTA Championships. The deal, which runs from 2014 to 2018, was worth, according to industry sources, more than $70 million: a vital figure considering that the championships are one of the tour’s primary revenue streams.

The Singapore move was part of Allaster’s and the WTA’s push into Asia and China, which coincided with the now-retired Chinese star Li Na’s becoming the first Asian woman to win major singles titles at the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open.

“The fatigue is a little bit Stacey’s fault,” said Chris Evert, the former No. 1 player, on Tuesday in reference to the long-haul travel. “The tennis growth in Asia has been a lot because of her. That’s her big contribution if you look at her tenure. I think she was a very proactive and progressive leader. I really do.”

Others have criticized the Asia-centric strategy as risky and described the hard-charging Allaster as difficult to work for (there was significant attrition at the WTA during her run).

Another key agreement was a 10-year, $525 million media deal announced in 2014 that Allaster has said will lead to greatly expanded worldwide viewership of WTA tournaments. The tour also introduced on-court coaching in WTA events during Allaster’s watch: a move intended to be more fan and television friendly even as it drew criticism from traditionalists who thought it made the game less of a true duel.