WTA Finals 2024: Iga Swiatek drops out after Barbora Krejcikova beats Coco Gauff

Eighth seed Krejcikova's victory was bad news for Swiatek, who was eliminated in the WTA Finals group stage for the first time since 2021.

Swiatek has been the tour's dominant player for much of the last two years and started this season strongly, winning titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and French Open.

However, their high performances dipped in the second half of the season, allowing Sabalenka to overtake them at the top of the rankings.

In search of answers, Swiatek decided to change coach and replaced Tomasz Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette in the run-up to the WTA Finals.

Improving the four-time French Open champion's serve game and adapting her skills to have more success on the faster surfaces are the priorities.

On a fast court at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, Swiatek battled Gauff on Tuesday – a straight-sets loss that ultimately proved costly.

But there were positive signals against Kasatkina. Swiatek played with more pace and intensity and swept past the Russian, who looked unprepared after her late call-up.

“I hit the ball really well and picked the right shots to play faster,” Swiatek said.