The WTA Elite Trophy, held in Zhuhai last November, proved to be a challenging yet rewarding season finale to motivate the world's top female players to go for the gold next year.

With most of their counterparts either on holiday or sitting out the event due to injury, 12 women were tested at the inaugural Zhuhai tournament.

"Of course this season's been good," said Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. "There were ups and downs but obviously you can see that with these kind of matches I'm not in the top 20 for nothing."

The Elite Trophy in Zhuhai is a new mandatory event with a field of 12 high-ranking players and is intended as a lower-tier version of the WTA Finals for the top eight.

Venus Williams of the United States upset the Czech Republic's rising star, Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 7-6 in the singles' final on November 8 to bag a £421,000 ($622,656) share of the total £1.4 million purse and 700 ranking points. She finished the year as the world number seven.

Pliskova, who advanced to the final after beating Svitolina 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinal, said Zhuhai offered her one last encouragement this season for a better year to come.

"It will be huge because my second part of the year wasn't as good as I expected," the 23-year-old said. "I was tired as well before this tournament, but I'm feeling pretty good, so it will be a really nice end of the season."

The tournament not only motivated up-and-coming youngsters but also provided veterans with a sense of accomplishment nearing the end of their careers.

Italian US Open finalist Roberta Vinci said her performance in Zhuhai would buoy her up to play one more year. "It's an incredible end of the season and incredible ranking right now," said the 32-year-old. "So now I'm happy that I’m finished and that I have a good ranking to be in the top 20 and ready for the next year, which will be my last."

Apart from the fierce competition on court, enthusiastic support from local fans pleased the players. Entering the fray as a little-known contestant, Svitolina left as a local favorite, not least for elegant style and attractive looks.

"(It was a) really amazing atmosphere. I was not really expecting it when I was going into this tournament that there would be so many fans," the 21-year-old said. "They respect the game here. I think all the players are enjoying playing in front of those fans."

Karolina Pliskova lost to Venus Williams in the singles’ final. [Photo provided to China Daily]