ZHUHAI, China — Elina Svitolina beat second-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals of the WTA Elite Trophy on Friday.
The eighth-seeded Ukrainian took control after dropping a marathon 80-minute first set, saving four of seven break points in the second and third sets.
The tournament brings together 11 of the top players who did not qualify for last week's WTA Finals in Singapore. The qualifiers compete in a four-group round robin format, with the winners of each group advancing to the semifinals.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova coasted to a 6-1, 6-0 win over fourth-seeded Roberta Vinci, who already qualified for the semifinals after Caroline Wozniacki retired against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Thursday and pulled out of the tournament.