But after not taking part in the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, her advantage over second-place Aryna Sabalenka has decreased.

Fellow Pole Magdalena Fręch, who made it to the last eight of the WTA 1000, is enjoying the best season of her career and has risen to an all-time high of 27th.

The highlight of the 26-year-old's season so far was winning the Guadalajara Open in September. She also impressed at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round.

Świątek is currently taking a break from the intense demands of elite tennis and also searching for a new coach after announcing on Friday that she was parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski.

The world No. 1 last appeared on the court on September 5, when she lost resoundingly to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

She was scheduled to play in Seoul and then Beijing but withdrew from both. Sabalenka, however, despite being well-fancied to win the tournament, did not take advantage of Świątek’s absence and was surprisingly knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by Karolína Muchová.

Had Sabalenka taken the title in Beijing, the Belarusian would be within touching distance of the Pole, trailing by just 384 points. Instead, Świątek holds a 1,069-point advantage.

However, the Wuhan Open begins today without Świątek, and Sabalenka, who was in fine form in Beijing prior to losing to Muchová, could potentially gain 1,000 points if she can win the tournament.