"It feels like it's been a year that just hasn't stopped. It's been a year of incredible ups and downs, I think more ups than downs. To cap it off with a very, very special night tonight in Shenzhen is really cool.

"We've played some exceptional tennis this year. We've had some heart-breaking moments and we've had every emotion in between," Barty recollected.

For her part, Svitolina commended Barty for playing exceptional tennis and keeping her level high at key moments.

"I think she was playing great match today. She was on it 100 percent. It was very, very tough," the Ukrainian said.

Svitolina also noted that she was unable to take advantage of the chances she had in the first set.

"In the first set I had one small opportunity. Unfortunately, she played great on [the baseline]. I didn't really have any other chances to come back. Then everything happened really quickly," she added.

Reflecting on her perfect run here in Shenzhen leading up to the defeat final, Svitolina said she had no complaints.

"Obviously it was great week for me. I cannot complain after winning four matches. Yeah, it seemed like I was playing 10 matches here," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was a good I think still positive finish of the year," she concluded.