India's tennis ace Sania Mirza and Cara Black showed nerves of steel as they saved three match points in the Super Tie Break against Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik to cruise into the summit clash of the WTA year-end finals, in Singapore on Saturday.
Kvitova and Vekic had played twice on Saturday after a rain delay on Friday but it was the Czech who did not drop a set in the entire tournament.
Osaka will take plenty of positives out of the contest
Switzerland's Belinda Bencic became the first teenager in seven years to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings after she climbed to ninth in the world on Monday.
In doubles, Sania also moved up one place to be 25th with 1321 points.
Sabine Lisicki, the 2103 Wimbledon runner-up and former World No. 12, now on a comeback trail, found the going too tough against eighth seed Nao Hibino of Japan, losing in three sets in a first round match.
The first round loss at the Wimbledon championships has pushed Sania Mirza two places down.
A calm Sloane Stephens picked her shots to perfection to overcome Japan's Naomi Osaka in a battle between the last two US Open champions at the WTA Finals on Monday before top seed Angelique Kerber was upset by Kiki Bertens.
Five top contenders for the women's title at the US Open.
Azarenka, who sits on the eight-person WTA players council, said that combating abuse was the group's top priority.
Maria Sharapova recovered from a second-set meltdown to record her first victory at this year's WTA Finals with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 triumph over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanksa on Friday but the Russian still bowed out of the elite eight-woman tournament.
Czech-born Navratilova, who became a US citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer back in 2010.
Caroline Wozniacki 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 and advance to the last four at WTA Finals on Friday, the Frenchwoman topping the Red Group after top seed Simona Halep lost later in the day.
Novak Djokovic will prepare for a tilt at an 11th Australian Open title by representing Serbia at the United Cup mixed team tournament while old rival Rafael Nadal and former women's world number one Naomi Osaka return at Brisbane after time away.
Caroline Wozniacki put a huge dent in Maria Sharapova's bid to finish the season as world number one by overcoming some distracting bright lights to down the Russian 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2 in their marathon opening group match of the WTA Finals on Tuesday.
Venus has no plans of following her younger sister into retirement any time soon.
Andreescu back from the brink to down Muguruza
The five top contenders for the women's title at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
China's Li Na will meet Serena Williams in the final of the WTA championships after beating Czech Petra Kvitova 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday, becoming the highest-ranked player ever from an Asian country.
The second set saw Fruhvirtova dominate her opponent, a former Grand Slam singles semi-finalist. After a marathon opening set lasting 77 minutes, the teenager clinched it 6-2 in quick time.
Sabalenka has always had the power and, since addressing the frequent on-court meltdowns that once blighted her career, has shown a frightening level of consistency at Grand Slams.
China's Zhu Lin, who outlasted Venus Williams 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in a rain-hit match that ran two hours and 23 minutes.
Venus Williams' return to action following a five-month injury layoff ended in defeat.
Serena Williams lost to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open on Friday night, likely marking the end of arguably the sport's greatest Grand Slam career, but her title as the biggest earner in women's tennis history will remain for years to come.
Local favourite Thompson saved three match points before prevailing 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 against Nadal, who was playing his first tournament after nearly a year out with a hip injury.
Claycourt specialist Iga Swiatek has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but the world number one says the transition to slick grass surfaces is becoming a little easier each year.
Sabalenka overpowers Raducanu, Osaka falls
World number one Carlos Alcaraz faces a potential quarter-final clash with old foe Jannik Sinner in his US Open title defence, and American Coco Gauff is on a collision course with defending champion Iga Swiatek on the women's side.
Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the grasscourt Grand Slam as 'neutrals' this year.
Holger Rune rallied from a set down and saved a match point to defeat former champion Taylor Fritz 2-6 7-6(2) 6-3 on Wednesday and reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals where he will meet fourth seed Daniil Medvedev.
His dream of being inside the global top-100 has been realised but Sumit Nagal is nowhere close to being a content man as the Indian tennis ace says he now faces the challenge of improving or holding on to his standing for direct entry into Grand Slams and the Paris Olympics.
Natela Dzalamidze will be able to compete at Wimbledon after she changed her nationality to represent Georgia
* Swiatek started playing tennis in an attempt to emulate her older sister, who competed briefly on the junior circuit.
Azarenka said she believed getting vaccinated was the socially responsible thing to do
Romania's Simona Halep kicked off her campaign for a maiden WTA Finals title in emphatic fashion with a thumping 6-0, 6-3 victory over US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the opening match of the eight-woman season-ending tournament on Sunday.
Venus was slated to begin her campaign in Cleveland on a Monday, a mere five days after she faced defeat at the hands of Zheng Qinwen of China during the Western and Southern Open in Mason, Ohio. Notably, the tournament saw her secure a significant victory over a top-20 opponent, a feat she hadn't accomplished in four years. She triumphed over the 16th-ranked Veronika Kudermetova of Russia, showcasing her enduring prowess on the court.
'The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our Tour.'
After the women's doubles finalists weren't given the chance to speak at the trophy ceremony at the Madrid Open, the organisers apologised.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna outclassed Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski to enter the mixed doubles final at the 2023 Australian Open.
Ash Barty ended Australia's 44-year wait for a home winner at the Australian Open when the world number one staved off a fightback from American Danielle Collins to complete a 6-3, 7-6(2) win.
