Ashleigh Barty will be up against it to make the semi-finals for consecutive years at the WTA Elite Trophy after a straight-sets defeat in her opening Orchid Group match.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka had all the answers on Tuesday in dispatching the Australian 6-4 6-4 in an hour and 26 minutes.
The Elite Trophy features the world’s top 12 singles players – in four groups of three – who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals.
In her first tournament in a month after resting a shoulder injury, Barty was sluggish out of the blocks, losing her opening service game.
It was the only break of the set as the Queenslander struggled to make inroads on Sabalenka’s serve.
The second set stayed on serve until Barty fashioned a break for a 3-2 lead but her failure to consolidate cost her.
Sabalenka won three consecutive games before ultimately serving out the match.
“I think today in particular her serve was the difference and getting that first strike, controlling the points of her first serves and behind her first serves,” Barty said.
“Disappointed not to come away with a win, but I have another opportunity in the next few days to finish my season on a real high.”
Sabalenka will next face Caroline Garcia, who rounds out the Orchid Group, with Barty to play the Frenchwoman in the final group match.
The third player in the Orchid Group is Caroline Garcia.
Top seed Daria Kasatkina overcame a stern test from Wang Qiang, outlasting the local favourite 6-1 2-6 7-5.
Kasatkina, competing as a top-10 player for the first time, broke her opponent twice to claim the opening set.
But Wang, China’s top-ranked player, rebounded with a string of aggressive groundstrokes to force a decider.
The final set was a topsy-turvy affair with nine successive games against serve before Kasatkina finally held her delivery together to clinch the victory in just under two hours.
The 21-year-old Russian will next face American Madison Keys in Azalea Group, with a victory guaranteeing Kasatkina a spot in the semis.
Belgium’s Elise Mertens needed just 66 minutes to defeat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-1 and move to the top of the Rose Group, which also features defending champion Julia Goerges.
Garbine Muguruza, Anastasija Sevastova and Shuai Zhang are in the Camellia Group.