V. Williams advances to WTA semifinals

Venus Williams reached the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Singapore by beating Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza 7-5, 6-4.

The 37-year-old Williams advanced from the White Group along with Karolina Pliskova, who lost to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-1. Williams and Pliskova finished with 2-1 records.

Muguruza, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki also have a chance to become the yearend No. 1.

Swiss Indoors: Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro eased into today’s quarterfinals in Basel, Swit- zerland, by beating French opponents in straight sets.

Top-seeded Federer cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 40th-ranked Benoit Paire in 57 minutes.

Federer took his second match-point chance on Paire’s serve, approaching the net to hit a forehand crosscourt winner. He next plays another Frenchman, seventh-seeded Adrian Mannarino.

Mannarino advanced to today’s quarterfinals after beating Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Del Potro, a two-time Basel champion, beat Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-4 and stayed on course to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals lineup in London next month.

Also Thursday, Marin Cilic, the second-seeded defending champion, beat 54th-ranked Borna Coric 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.