Eighth seed Krejcikova’s victory was bad news for Swiatek, who has been eliminated at the group stage of the WTA Finals for the first time since 2021.

Swiatek has been the dominant player on the Tour for the majority of the past two years and started this season strongly by winning the Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and French Open titles.

However, her lofty levels have dipped in the second half of the season and allowed Sabalenka to overtake her at the top of the rankings.

In her search for answers, Swiatek decided to change coaches and replaced Tomasz Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette in the lead-up to the WTA Finals.

Improving the four-time French Open champion’s service game, and adapting her skills in a bid for more success on the quicker surfaces, are the priorities.

On a fast court at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, Swiatek struggled against Gauff on Tuesday – a straight-set defeat which ultimately proved costly.

But there were positive signs against Kasatkina. Swiatek played with more pace and intensity to sweep past the Russian, who looked undercooked after her late call-up.

“I was hitting the ball really well and picking the right shots to play faster,” said Swiatek.