What Iga Swiatek was spotted doing to her coaching team during her defeat to Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals

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Iga Swiatek fell to a defeat against Elena Rybakina in her second WTA Finals match, leaving her sweating on a place in the semifinals.

Swiatek overcame Madison Keys in her first match and after taking the first set against Rybakina, she looked to be on course to secure a second successive win.

It’s the first time Swiatek has lost from a set in front since January, and this defeat will sting a little bit, with this group now wide open at the WTA Finals.

Madison Keys praised Swiatek after losing to her over the weekend, but this wasn’t a vintage display by any means, with Rybakina showcasing the form that has given her a place in the competition.

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What Iga Swiatek was spotted doing with her coaching team during defeat

The Polish performer managed to win Wimbledon this year to add to her collection of Grand Slam titles, and she’s a player who can definitely win this tournament.

Swiatek simply got outplayed by Rybakina in the final two sets here and given the form that has been shown by the Kazakhstani, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise at how she played.

Indeed, Sky Sports anchor Gigi Salmon spotted Swiatek seemingly looking towards her coaching box in vain, unable to really suggest how she was feeling on the court.

She said on Sky Sports Tennis: “It was out of Iga Swiatek’s hands from early in that third set. At the end of the second set, the one thing I looked at when the camera was on Rybakina and her coach is that I looked across to Iga Swiatek, and she just went to her box and looked at them and just (shrugged).

“There were no words. She just went like this [shrugged again] and walked off back to her bench.”

What Laura Robson said about Iga Swiatek losing to Elena Rybakina

Robson is also part of the Sky Sports team providing coverage of the WTA Finals over in Riyadh, and she had some sympathy for Swiatek.

After winning the first set the world number two looked in firm control of the match and perhaps wasn’t expecting a fightback quite so emphatic from Rybakina.

Robson said: “It’s tough when you feel like you are being outplayed and on a court like this, where it bounces up so much, she probably felt like I don’t know what the tactics are.

“I have tried my best in the first set, and she is doing something differently, so where do I go from here. It did not really feel like there was a plan B, but so much of that was to do with how well Rybakina played.

Now, Swiatek faces Amanda Anisimova in her final match of the group stages, and she will need a victory to guarantee her progression to the semifinal.