Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova became the first players to reach the semi-finals of the Tour Championships in Los Angeles on Friday. Mauresmo saw off Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-2 and Sharapova beat Vera Zvonareva 6-4 7-5 as the both players moved to a 2-0 record.
In the day's other match, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina beat Lindsay Davenport 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
Davenport must now beat Serena Williams to have any chance of progressing.
And if Davenport does not reach the final, the in-form Mauresmo could snatch the year-ending number one spot.
 | RED GROUP S Williams 2-0 Myskina 1-1 Davenport 1-1 Dementieva 0-2 To play: Williams v Davenport; Myskina v Dementieva |
"I figure I probably have to win, and the quicker the better," Davenport said of her match against Williams. "If I finished the year at number two, it's been a great year. If I finish one, then great."
Davenport and Myskina both have one win apiece in the red group, but Myskina looks to have the easier final round-robin match against the winlesss Elena Dementieva.
"It is going to be a real important match for both of us," said Myskina.
Mauresmo has been in sparkling form in recent weeks and produced another powerful display against US Open champion Kuznetsova in the black group.
"She has improved so much," said Kuznetsova, who has now lost all four of her matches against Mauresmo.
"She served huge today. She served so many aces, and she was leading because of her serve."
| BLACK GROUP Mauresmo 2-0 Sharapova 2-0 Kuznetsova 1-2 Zvonareva 0-3 To play: Mauresmo v Sharapova; Kuznetsova v Zvonareva |
Mauresmo is highly motivated with the top ranking within her sights following Davenport's loss. "The story is very easy," she said.
"I need to not only qualify for the final but probably also to win the championship to have a hope to win the number one. So I will go for that."
Wimbledon champion Sharapova eliminated fellow Russian Zvonareva to complete a straightforward story in the black group.
Sharapova, who plays Mauresmo on Saturday with both women having already qualified, has been a big hit in LA.
Her love of basketball has won plenty of fans in the Staples Center, home of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.
And she donned a yellow Lakers jersey with the number '04' and her name on the back, saying: "I love Kobe, that's for sure."
MMIX
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