Jannik Sinner continued his quest to end his stellar season with the ATP Finals title after downing Taylor Fritz in straight-sets to earn his second win of the tournament. 

Sinner emerged a 6-4 6-4 victor in an hour and 40 minutes in Turin, with his latest triumph improving his record to 7-0 on indoor hard courts in 2024. 

The Italian showed his intentions with a love service game to open the first set, but was matched by his American opponent, who was also looking to maintain his perfect start. 

Sinner missed four break points in the eighth game, but made no mistake in Fritz's following service game to claim the early advantage in Turin. 

Fritz again traded blows with the year-end world number one, but would again lose a decisive break late in the second set that put Sinner within touching distance. 

The American exchanged in another pulsating rally with his opponent, but sent a backhand wide to send Sinner through and to the top of the Ilie Nastase Group after two matches.

Up next for Sinner is Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex de Minaur earlier on Tuesday, while Fritz will face the Australian on Thursday. 

Data Debrief: The Italian Job

In a back-and-forth tussle with Alexander Zverev to end the year with the most wins, Sinner levelled the German with his Tour-leading 67th victory in 2024 on Tuesday. 

He also sealed a 12th win against an American opponent this season, only managing more wins against Ben Shelton (three) this season than Fritz (two, level with Alex Michelsen). 

Sinner (2023-24) is only the third player in the Open Era to claim 47+ ATP match wins on hard court in consecutive seasons after Roger Federer (2005-06) and Novak Djokovic (2012-13, 15-16).

Daniil Medvedev credited his ability to "block out the noise" as crucial in getting his ATP Finals campaign up and running with a straight-sets victory over Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev, who lost his opening game of the tournament to Taylor Fritz, returned to winning ways with a 6-2 6-4 triumph over the Australian in 78 minutes on Tuesday. 

The Russian cut a frustrated figure in his defeat to Fritz on Sunday, breaking his racket and was docked a point after serving a third consecutive double fault during the encounter.

However, the fourth seed produced an expertly measured performance, winning 20 out of 31 baseline points in the opening set to claim the early advantage. 

The second set was more evenly contested, but Medvedev secured a crucial break point in the ninth game, going on to seal his first top 10 win on hard courts since March. 

"After the last match I was too tired to fight mentally the way I do and so, during the match, when it doesn't work your way, you want to win and when you start losing you get frustrated," Medvedev said. 

"So I went into this match thinking, if I lose I go home on Thursday for sure and if I win then I have the chance to have a good feeling. I tried to hit some shots and it worked well and I'm ok with it.

"A lot of football players do it [block the noise]. It's more about social media and for sure after my performance with Taylor and some of my comments ... I tried to read it less.

"I went into this match trying to block the noise even from myself, so no tantrums and I really didn't care what was happening on the court."

Medvedev will seek to bolster his hopes of progressing from the John Newcombe Group when he takes on Jannik Sinner next, with the Italian in action against Fritz later on Tuesday. 

Data Debrief: Cool, calm and collected

Medvedev kept his hopes of sealing a second ATP Finals crown alive with a composed display against De Minaur, improving his record to 45-19 for the season. 

While the Russian produced more unforced errors (18) than De Minaur (15), Medvedev showed his quality by hitting 24 winners, 14 of which came with his forehand. 

Medvedev also claimed his sixth top 10 win of 2024, while also improving his head-to-head record against his Australian opponent to 7-3, avenging his defeat in the French Open round of 16 earlier this year. 

Naomi Osaka is targeting a fifth grand slam win of her career, so says Patrick Mouratoglou.

Osaka, who has won the Australian Open twice and the US Open twice, will head into 2025 as the world number 59.

The former world number one has had a stop-start career in recent years, as she took time away from the sport to focus on her mental health, before then giving birth.

She has taken part in 18 WTA Tour-level competitions this season, with her best effort a run to the quarter-finals at the Qatar Open in February.

Mouratoglou, a former coach of Serena Williams, has been helping to guide the 27-year-old, and he explained Osaka has set her sights on another major crown.

"[With] Serena, motivation was extremely key after she beat the record of [Martina] Navratilova and Chris Evert [to reach 23 Grand Slam singles titles]," he told Sky Sports.

"But I think we worked so well together because I think we were both motivating each other all the time. I knew exactly how to talk to her. She knew exactly how to talk to me. I was pushing her, she was pushing me and that was like that every day.

"So that's why it works so well. For Naomi, it's different because she really feels she has to give and do much more. She had two very difficult years.

"First, she had this mental health issue, and then she had a baby. So she's been out, and then she restarted the year this season and it was not a very good season.

"Before the first tournament we did together she was 80 in the world and she knows she can do much better than that.

"She's extremely motivated to come back and win grand slams, and it's a pleasure for me because that's the dream of every coach: to have a player who has that level of motivation."

Alexander Zverev insisted improvements needed to be made despite kickstarting his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-set triumph over Andrey Rublev on Monday. 

Zverev, who is going in search of a third crown at the year-end tournament, emerged a 6-4 6-4 victor in 72 minutes in Turin to claim a Tour-leading 67th win of 2024. 

Rublev, however, got off to a blistering start to the encounter, winning each of his 13 points on serve, only for a lapse in the seventh game that allowed Zverev to take the opening set.

Zverev continued to trade blows with his opponent, but he claimed the decisive break point in the ninth game to maintain his dominant record in opening round-robin matches at the event (6-1). 

"I'm looking forward to the next few matches, and hopefully I can improve on a few more things because I don't think this match was perfect to be honest," Zverev said.

"I still think there's a few more things that can be better. I missed a few balls from the baseline and I feel I wasn't as sharp movement-wise as I would like to be."

Zverev joined Casper Ruud at the top of the John Newcombe Group after he had beaten Carlos Alcaraz earlier on Monday, with the Norwegian up next for the world number two.

Data Debrief: Alexander the Great

After winning the ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021, Zverev's performance against the big-hitting Rublev was a sign of his intentions to complete a hat-trick of victories at the year-end tournament. 

The German struck 22 winners compared to his opponents' 10, along with converting both break points he was presented with. 

Excluding the Laver Cup, Zverev also claimed the 50th ATP top 10 win of his career, becoming the first player born since 1990 to achieve the feat.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he struggled with illness during his opening game loss at the ATP Finals to Casper Ruud on Monday. 

Alcaraz looked out of sorts as he fell to a 1-6 5-7 defeat to Ruud in just 86 minutes in Turin, and now faces an uphill struggle if he is to progress from the John Newcombe Group.

During the contest, the Spaniard hit 26 unforced errors compared to his opponents' 10, while also failing to save any of the four break points he faced. 

It also marked Alcaraz's first loss against Ruud in their fifth match against each other, with the 21-year-old confirming he had felt unwell leading up to the tournament. 

“I don’t like talking about things like this because it sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match,” began Alcaraz.

“Before coming here, I was unwell at home. When I got to Turin, practice was going well; I could handle long rallies, competing and playing.

"And I hoped things would get better as the days went by.

"I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first match, but I didn’t feel completely well. My stomach limited my game a lot and made me feel uncomfortable.

"I could’ve done better. I’m not going to feel good in every match I play throughout the year, but it really limited me in terms of my recovery.”

Alcaraz will be back on court on Wednesday, when he takes on the loser of Monday's clash between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.

Failing to win would see the four-time grand slam champion fall short once again at the year-end tournament, but he was confident of claiming a maiden ATP Finals crown. 

“I don’t want to think much beyond today... Given how I’ve felt, it’s difficult to think about the semis,” said Alcaraz.

“The good thing in this sport is that your game can feel very bad one day and very good the next.

"There have been many players who have lost the first match of the [Nitto] ATP Finals and ended up winning. I reached the semis last year after losing on the first day.

"Now I want to take it day by day, to feel better, and see how the next match is. I’ll approach it as best I can. Let’s hope things turn out well.”

Casper Ruud believes his 50th Tour-level victory of 2024 was one of his best after he upset third seed Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match of the ATP Finals on Monday. 

Ruud, who had registered just two wins since the US Open, sealed a 6-1 7-5 win in just 86 minutes against Alcaraz for his maiden Top 3 triumph on hard courts. 

The Norwegian reeled off five consecutive games from 1-1 to claim the first set at a canter but had to battle from the brink to secure a straight-set victory in Turin. 

Alcaraz had raced into a 5-2 lead in the second set but was unable to hold on, with Ruud roaring back to sit top of the early standings in the John Newcombe Group. 

"It's only one match, but it's one of the best wins of the season in terms of who I am playing and his ranking," Ruud said.

"I feel really happy, of course. I think we have seen Carlos play better tennis, but I took care of my chances. 

"I haven't been boosting with confidence in the last few months so it was a great win for me and I would like to get some more wins in Turin.

"I got a good start, I got a break early and in the second set I managed to turn it around with some good tennis at the end."

Ruud will next seek to earn a second win on Wednesday when he will face either Alexander Zverev or Andrey Rublev, who play later on Monday. 

Data Debrief: Ruud awakening

Although Alcaraz appeared below his physical best during Monday's encounter, Ruud took full advantage to continue his impressive streak against the very best in the world. 

The Norwegian's latest win saw his record against players in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings improve to 5-2, and he was a worthy winner in Turin. 

Ruud converted all four of the break points he was presented with, ending the contest with 10 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's 26. 

After almost a month out of action, Jannik Sinner was delighted to shake off his rustiness with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals.

Playing on home soil in Turin, the Italian reeled off a 6-3 6-4 victory over De Minaur in 85 minutes, making a winning start to his bid to escape the Ilie Nastase Group, also containing Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

It was Sinner's first match since he won the Shanghai Masters on October 13, but he overcame some early nerves to showcase his impressive power from the baseline.

Asked about the impact of his long wait between matches, Sinner said: "Considering that, I'm very happy. 

"I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite early, and I started to return very well.

"My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to win the next match. Against Taylor, today he played really well. Hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one."

Data Debrief: The man for the big stage

Sinner's victory over ninth-ranked De Minaur is his 13th against a top-10 player in ATP events this calendar year, having also done so in 2023.

He is just the fifth player aged 23 or under to reach that mark in back-to-back seasons since 1973, after legendary quartet Bjorn Borg (1977-79), Ivan Lendl (1980-82), Pete Sampras (1993-94) and Rafael Nadal (2008-09)

Taylor Fritz opened his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-sets victory over Daniil Medvedev, then acknowledged his fine serving display was the difference.

Fritz recorded a 6-4 6-3 victory over the fourth seed to make a flying start to his second appearance at the season-ending event in Turin.

With world number one Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur – who face off later on Sunday – also lurking in the Ilie Nastase Group, Fritz knew the importance of using his serve as a weapon.

He won 85% (33/39) of his first-serve points to Medvedev's 79% (30/38), also firing off nine aces and not committing a single double fault, compared to eight of each for the Russian. 

"The serve was a big part of it for sure," Fritz said after the match. "He's such a good returner. 

"You can make a lot of first serves, but if they are not very high quality, he just puts so many returns in the court.

"It was huge for me, I hit a lot of lines, a lot of spots to start out games. I got out of a lot of service games with no pressure. 

"Some of the ones we got tight in, I was either able to grind through the long rallies or get myself some free points."

Data Debrief: Fifty up for Fritz

Fritz's win made him just the fourth player to register 50 victories in ATP events this calendar year, putting him in an exclusive club.

Only Alexander Zverev (66), Sinner (65) and Carlos Alcaraz (52) have managed more such wins in 2024.

Coco Gauff explained how she kept her cool despite the helter-skelter nature of her WTA Finals clash with Qinwen Zheng.

Gauff prevailed 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in Riyadh on Saturday to become the youngest WTA Finals champion since 2004.

She was pushed all the way by Olympic champion Zheng, who led 5-3 at one stage in the decider and also clawed back four matchpoints before Gauff eventually got over the line.

"Tired, it's been a hard season," Gauff told Sky Sports after her victory.

"It was a really great match. Qinwen played some unbelievable tennis. I was just trying my best to hang in there and I never gave up.

"I was just telling myself, 'It's another point, another chance'. I've been in situations like this in the past and have been able to turn it around, and was able to do it again."

Gauff is the first player since Serena Williams (12, between 2013 and 2015) to win at least eight consecutive hard-court finals.

The 20-year-old collapsed on the court after her winning shot, something the American quipped she had mentally reserved for grand slam victories.

"At the end of the match, when I, like, fell on the floor, I didn't think I was going to do that," said Gauff, who has secured the year-end world number three ranking.

"I made a promise to myself that I will save that for grand slams. But honestly, to the way the match went, I was like, 'I'm just tired. I just want to lay on the ground.'

"I know I was like a couple of points away from losing, but, you know, I just tried to stay in the moment, honestly, and I'm really proud of myself."

For Zheng, it was a case of taking the positives from the first WTA Finals showpiece match that had to be settled by a third-set tie-break/

She said: "The match was very close, and then, you know, at the end, when you play this type of match, it's not about tennis, it's just about choices on court.

"When you lose a match, there's lessons you have to learn. So I would say it's a lot of positive things, because it's my first WTA Finals, but at the same time, I feel hurt to lose this match. But we will see. Maybe next time I will be better."

Coco Gauff triumphed over Qinwen Zheng after three sets to become the youngest WTA Finals champion in 20 years.

Having fallen behind in Saturday's final in Riyadh, Gauff bounced back to prevail 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).

Gauff had squandered two match points when 6-5, 40-15 up in the decider, with Zheng clawing back to force a tie-break.

Yet, the American rediscovered her composure to cruise into a 5-0 lead, and though she saw another two match points fall by the wayside, Gauff got the job done at the fifth time of asking.

A short Zheng return clipped the top of the net, with Gauff scrambling from the baseline to meet it before flicking a forehand to the left of her opponent, with this year's Olympic champion unable to get there.

Gauff, who beat Iga Swiatek in the group stage and downed world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, collapsed to the court in celebration, after winning what was the second-longest WTA Tour-level final of 2024.

Data Debrief: It's a marathon, not a sprint

Zheng made a blistering start, but despite going a break up in the second set, she could not maintain the momentum.

Gauff's wobble in the decider meant the WTA Finals championship match had to be decided by a third-set tie-break for the first time since the tournament's introduction in 1972.

At 20, Gauff is the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004, and the youngest American champion of the event since Serena Williams in 2001.

Only Nancy Richey and Anna Smashnova (10 each) have won more titles after their first 10 WTA Tour-level finals than Gauff (nine) in the Open Era.

Meanwhile, she is the first player since Williams (12, between the 2013 US Open and 2015 Cincinnati Open) to win at least eight consecutive hard-court finals, and the youngest to do so since Martina Hingis in 1998.

Carlos Alcaraz said he arrives at the ATP Finals with "a lot of motivation" and is looking to make his mark in Turin next week. 

Alcaraz, who claimed two grand slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon this year, missed the event in 2022 after picking up an internal oblique muscle tear. 

The Spaniard was then beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, though the Olympic champion has since withdrawn from this year's tournament with an ongoing injury issue. 

Alcaraz, however, enters the year-end competition with a win-loss record of 52-11, with only Jannik Sinner (12) claiming more top 10 wins in 2024 than the 21-year-old (11). 

“Last year was a difficult end of the year for me,” Alcaraz said. “I could not play at my best.

"The last two matches here were pretty good matches for me, but the previous two, three tournaments I didn’t play at my best, so I realised I had to change a little bit at this time of the year, which I did this year.

“I come here a little bit different. I approach this tournament a little differently, knowing there are things I have to change if I am to have a good result here and go far.

"Last year I didn’t start well from the first matches. I will try to play at the same level and will try to play good tennis. I am coming here with a lot of motivation.”

Alcaraz was drawn in the John Newcombe Group at the ATP Finals alongside Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev.

He will start against Ruud on Monday, but might face the strongest competition in the group from Zverev, who claimed his seventh Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters. 

Among the qualifiers for this year's event, Zverev (14) and Daniil Medvedev (11) are the only two to have recorded 10 or more match wins at the ATP Finals.

Alcaraz and Zverev have faced each other 10 times, winning five apiece, though Alcaraz has won the last two, including at Roland-Garros in the French Open showpiece.

“He is one of the toughest players in the world for sure,” Alcaraz said about Zverev.

“I think I return pretty well but he has a really big serve and plays unbelievable from the baseline, which makes him a really tough opponent to face.

“He has won more than 20 ATP Tour titles, lots of Masters titles. He wants a Grand Slam and I told him he is going to get it for sure.

"At the end of his career he will get at least one, let's see if more.

"He deserves it. He is a really hard worker. He has lifted the big trophies. I don’t like to face him because of his serves and shots, but I am trying to find the beauty of playing him.”

Coco Gauff saw off world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets and is now just one win away from taking the WTA Finals crown.

The American, who also beat Iga Swiatek on her run to the final, handed the Belarusian a second consecutive loss in Riyadh as she triumphed 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in one hour and 49 minutes on Friday.

The pair traded blows in the opening set, with Sabalenka getting the first break in the third game, only for Gauff to follow her lead in the next.

The world number three forced the tie-break, and she had to hold her nerve to take the first set as Sabalenka had fought back from 6-1 down.

Gauff's momentum carried her into a 4-1 lead in the second set but that run was halted despite valiantly defending six break points in the next as Sabalenka attempted to start a comeback.

They traded more breaks, but Gauff had already done enough, avenging her defeats to Sabalenka in the Australian Open and Wuhan Open semi-finals to reach the championship match, where she will face Zheng Qinwen for the prize. 

Data Debrief: Young guns pave the way

It has been an impressive WTA Finals for Gauff so far, and this victory means she has become the youngest player to defeat the world number one and number two at the tournament since Kim Clijsters in 2002 (Serena and Venus Williams).

She is also the youngest WTA Finals finalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.

In fact, Gauff and Zheng will have the youngest combined age for the two finalists at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in 2004, at just 42 years and 271 days. 

Sabalenka already knew she would be the year-end number one before entering these Finals, but she finishes the year on a slightly dour note, having lost consecutive matches for the first time since 2022 (against Donna Vekic in San Diego and Liudmila Samsonova in Guadalajara).

Zheng Qinwen was the first to book her place in the WTA Finals showpiece after downing Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets in Riyadh on Friday. 

Zheng, who has dropped just one set throughout the entire tournament, needed an hour and 40 minutes to emerge a 6-3 7-5 victor against the Wimbledon champion. 

The Olympic gold medallist wasted no time in stamping her authority on the contest, serving a love game straight away before breaking Krejcikova's serve soon after. 

Zheng then missed two set points in the eighth game to take the early advantage, but remained composed, closing out the opener with another love game. 

The world number seven threatened to run away with the contest after powering into a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Krejcikova responded emphatically. 

She would go on to win the next four games, but made a fatal error when serving at 5-5, sending a forehand long which handed Zheng the opportunity to serve for the match. 

After saving a break point, Zheng converted her second match point to book her place in the final, setting up a meeting with either Coco Gauff or Aryna Sabalenka. 

Data Debrief: Age is just a number

With a win-loss record of 52-17 this year, Zheng became the first Chinese player in the Open Era to notch 50 WTA-level victories in a calendar year. 

At 22 years and 31 days, she is also now the youngest player to reach the final in their maiden appearance at the WTA Finals since Petra Kvitova (2011).

Since the event's inauguration in 1972, she is only the second Asian player to reach the final at the WTA Finals after Li Na (2013).

The end of the 2024 season is upon us, but before the ATP Tour wraps up until 2025, there is one final big tournament to come.

That season finale is, of course, the ATP Finals, and it kicks off in Turin on Sunday, with eight of the world's top players vying for the prize.

Jannik Sinner is already sure of his place as the year-end number one, but there could be movement in the rankings below him, with Alexander Zverev heading into the tournament as the newly minted world number two, ahead of Carlos Alcaraz.

Reigning champion Novak Djokovic withdrew on Monday, meaning for the first time since 2001, none of the "big three" (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer) will feature at the ATP Finals.

Djokovic beat Sinner last year to claim his seventh ATP Finals title, which is the most times a player has won the competition.

Sinner, fresh from triumphs at Flushing Meadows and the Shangai Masters, heads to Turin as the favourite, with an eighth title on the line, but let's look ahead to the 2024 ATP Finals with Opta's pre-tournament facts.

Sin(ner) City

Sinner will not only be the firm fan favourite in Turin, he will always be the favourite to claim the crown.

The 23-year-old has already collected a Tour-leading seven titles this season, including the Australian Open and the US Open, and will be out to go one better following his loss to Djokovic in last year's final.

Six of Sinner's victories have come on hard court, with his triumph at the Halle Open the only exception. 

The Italian is only the fifth player aged 23 or under to win at least six Tour-level titles on hard courts in a calendar year after Jimmy Connors (1973), Ivan Lendl (1981), Pete Sampras (1994) and Federer (2004).

Since the ATP's redistribution of ranking points in 2009, only Djokovic (2015) and Nadal (2010) have clinched the year-end number one earlier in a season than Sinner in 2024.

He is out to become the seventh player to win the ATP Finals on home soil in the Open Era, and will be the player to beat in Turin.

Alcaraz and Zverev scrapping for second

Zverev comes into the tournament in excellent form, on the back of winning the Paris Masters.

His triumph in France not only saw him move into second place in the rankings, but also saw him claim his 66th match win, which is more than any other player in 2024 (Sinner is second on 65).

Among the qualifiers for this year's event, Zverev (14) and Daniil Medvedev (11) are the only two to have recorded 10+ match wins at the ATP Finals.

Zverev is only 27, but he is comparatively a veteran at the ATP Finals when stacked up against the other players to have qualified for this year's event. The German will be featuring at the tournament for the seventh time.

Since the rankings were first published in 1973, Boris Becker (four) holds the most wins over the world number one at the ATP Finals – Federer and Zverev have the next-most such wins, with three each.

Among players with multiple matches against the world number one at the ATP Finals, Zverev (3-2) is the only player to hold a winning record.

With Djokovic out of the picture, Alcaraz will be hoping to get back into the top two to end the year.

Only Sinner (12) has claimed more top 10 wins in 2024 than Alcaraz (11), whose last such win came against Sinner in Beijing in September.

Alcaraz is the only player to claim multiple wins over top-five ranked opponents on hard, grass and clay courts in consecutive seasons since the rankings were published in 1973. John McEnroe (1984) is the only other player to achieve the feat in a single year.

The other names in the hat

Who else will be looking for glory next week?

Medvedev comes into the ATP Finals ranked at number four in the world. Only two players won more matches at grand slams in 2024 than the Russian (18), and they are Sinner (23) and Alcaraz (19).

Taylor Fritz reached his first major final earlier this year, losing to Sinner at the US Open. Only two players - Zverev and Sinner - have won more matches on the Tour in 2024 than the American, who has an impressive 49-21 record.

After qualifying for the 2022 ATP Finals, Fritz will become the first American to make multiple appearances at the event since Andy Roddick (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010).

Casper Ruud is one of only three players, along with Sinner (eight) and Alcaraz (five), to have reached at least five ATP finals this year.

Alex de Minaur, meanwhile, will become the first Australian to appear at the ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago.

Hewitt went on to reach the final, so there is a good omen there for his compatriot.

Iga Swiatek suffered a shock exit at the WTA Finals despite her triumph over Daria Kasatkina in Riyadh on Thursday. 

Swiatek swept aside Kasatkina 6-1 6-0, with the Russian a late replacement for Jessica Pegula who withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury. 

The Pole then had to rely on Coco Gauff beating Barbora Krejcikova to reach the final four, but the Wimbledon champion came through in straight sets to send Swiatek home. 

Swiatek won 51 of 74 points and broke Kasatkina’s serve five of six times, ending the encounter in 51 minutes, which was her shortest match this year. 

"It was a pretty solid game. It was a good performance," said Swiatek. "I was hitting the ball really well and picking the right shorts to play faster.

But it mattered little in the end, with Swiatek revealing she was unaware of the scenario surrounding her progression to the semi-finals. 

“Honestly, I don’t think it matters. Like we go out on court to win every match anyway. I was not thinking about that. I did not know that was the case," she added. 

“I’m professional enough to always give 100 percent, no matter what the stakes are."

Swiatek, though, became the third player in the 2000's to win 10 or more matches against top-10 opponents for three consecutive seasons, after Serena Williams (2012-2014) and Venus Williams (2000-2002). 

But the day belonged to Krejcikova, who topped the Orange Group after extending her unbeaten run to two matches over Gauff. 

The Czech emerged a 7-5 6-4 victor in just under two hours, saving 11 of the 12 break points she faced against the American to book her place in the semi-finals. 

The world number 13 became the lowest-ranked player to make the semi-finals at the WTA Finals since Sandrine Testud (ranked 14th) in 2001.

"I think the calmness that I have in myself is key. I was ready to enjoy and excited. I had nothing to lose," Krejcikova said. 

"I mean obviously it was difficult. I was just more strict with my game and that was the key today.

"It's very tough to say because before the tournament, I was dealing with some issues and didn't know what to expect.

"I tried to stay positive and knew I was going to fight to the end.

"I faced Zheng last year, she is playing great and had a great season and it is going to be really difficult but I have nothing to lose and I am just going to try and play my best tennis."

Krejcikova will now face Zheng Qinwen, who came second in the Purple Group, while Gauff will take on world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the other match.