Daria Kasatkina ousts Coco Gauff from WTA Finals, will face Garcia for spot in the semifinals

With both competitors fighting to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage at the WTA Finals alive, it was Daria Kasatkina who prevailed over Coco Gauff in a tightly-contested clash on Thursday night in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kasatkina pulled off a 7-6(6) 6-3 victory in front of the pro-American crowd, surprising Gauff with her resilience and mental strength. The Russian remained firm despite being broken multiple times in the opening set, breaking back each time before prevailing in a tense tiebreak.

The second set saw Kasatkina capitalize on Gauff's shaky second serve, as the World No.8 was quick to attack any serves that fell in her strike zone. Another exchange of breaks occurred, but it was Kasatkina who applied more pressure to obtain the crucial break. The 25-year old closed out the match after an hour and 40 minutes, stunning the home crowd into silence behind a solid performance.

Following this loss, Gauff is eliminated from semifinal contention. Alternatively, Kasatkina will battle Caroline Garcia on Saturday for the second semifinal spot, with World No.1 Iga Swiatek already through to the knockout stage after winning her first two matches in the Tracy Austin Group.