Caroline Garcia described reaching the WTA Finals semi-finals as a "great achievement" after she rallied from a set down to beat Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash.
The match to decide the last semi-final berth in Fort Worth, Texas was tense and action-packed, Garcia shaking off the frustration of the first set then holding on in the tightly contested third to line up a meeting with fifth-ranked Maria Sakkari.
Round robin play concluded later on Saturday with world No 1 Iga Swiatek, already assured of her semi-final berth, beating American teenager Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-0.
Gauff had already been eliminated from semi-final contention. Garcia, ranked No 6, became the first player in 30 attempts this season to beat Kasatkina after dropping the first set.