Britain's Johanna Konta crushed Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-2 on Friday in an hour to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Elite Trophy.
Konta was joined in the final four at the event for WTA players ranked between ninth and 20th by two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, who defeated fellow Czech Barbora Strycova 6-1 6-4 with seven aces.
Russian Elena Vesnina saw off Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-4 7-6 (7-5) as group play ended.
Konta now faces Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Saturday while Kvitova plays China's Zhang Shuai.
Results at the playoff event have been a tonic for Konta, who had to quit last month after one match in Hong Kong with injury.
The Brit was then pipped from the eighth and final spot at the WTA Finals in Singapore by the late qualification of Svetlana Kuznetsova.
But Konta will now make British history by finishing this season inside the top 10.
Konta thrived in one-way traffic against Garcia, duplicating her victory at the Rio Games.
She finished with five games on the trot against the Frenchwoman to advance to the final four.
"I really felt I played a very consistent match. I didn't give her many windows (of opportunity) and I'm very happy I managed to do that today," Konta said.
"She has such a big game so I really needed to apply myself on every point.
"Right now, it's just one more match tomorrow. I'm not looking any further than that. I'm going to have a very tough one and looking to compete as best I can."
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