Madison Keys produced one of the most impressive performances of her young career to defuse Petra Kvitova in a thrilling quarterfinal shoot-out in Beijing. The result ends Kvitova’s slim chances of reaching the season-ending showpiece, but what does it mean for Keys and the other contenders? 

Matches to Watch in Beijing

Konta vs Keys (SF, Saturday): Keys moved up to No.7 on the RTS leaderboard by overcoming Kvitova and is now just two wins away from securing qualification for her first WTA Finals. If Keys lifts the title in the Chinese capital, she qualifies for Singapore.*

There is plenty on the line for her opponent, too. By reaching the last four, Konta moved into the first alternate position (RTS No.9). If she advances to the final, then Konta will move into the Top 8, 10 points ahead of Dominika Cibulkova.

Should Konta defeat Keys, then she will also make her Top 10 debut, becoming the first Briton to achieve this feat since Jo Durie in 1984.

* Keys had previously only needed to reach the final to qualify for Singapore. However, Karolina Pliskova’s withdrawal from Linz on Friday saw Garbiñe Muguruza take her place as a direct entry as a result of the Top 10 replacement rule. Keys and Dominika Cibulkova also accepted wildcards into the tournament, thus creating a possible scenario where Keys could be overtaken even if she reached the final in Beijing.

Heading To Zhuhai

While Kvitova is no longer is in contention of for a spot in Singapore – neither as a qualifier nor as an alternate – her late-season form has guaranteed her a place at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

SINGLES:

Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova

Next In Line (Current Top 8):

Still in Contention – Currently No.9 to No.13 with points behind current projected cut-off (3352)

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE?
Muguruza: Linz
Cibulkova: Linz, Moscow
Keys: Linz
Suárez Navarro: Linz, Moscow
Konta: Hong Kong
Kuznetsova: Tianjin [will need to play Moscow to stay in contention, possible WC]