Madison Keys, the second seed, has been eliminated from the WTA Elite Trophy after losing her second round-robin match 6-3, 7-6 (3) to Caroline Garcia on Wednesday.
After losing her opening match to eighth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia on Tuesday, the American player had to win against the world No. 20 Garcia to keep her semi-final hopes alive.
But, despite Keys firing six aces, the ninth-seeded Frenchwoman forced the only break of serve in the match to clinch the first set. Garcia then held her nerve through a
tighter second set to seal her first win over the 11th-ranked Keys since a Fed Cup playoff in 2014.
Garcia plays Haddad Maia on Friday in a straight shootout to win the Camellia group and advance to the semi-finals.
Top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova’s hopes of advancing took a dent after losing to Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.
In a see-saw match where neither player could assert themselves for long periods, Kasatkina wrestled back momentum in the decider and reeled off six of the final seven games to clinch the match in two hours and 10 minutes.
The sixth-seeded Russian next plays Magda Linette, who lost to Krejcikova in her opening match, on Friday knowing a win will take her through to the semi-finals. If Linette wins, the semi-final spot will be decided by sets or games won between the three players.
