The WTA believes that tennis can contribute to change in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups say that is not conversant with reality

BBC Sport looks at how the WTA Finals, which are being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, are unfolding - and what the reaction has been.

Staging the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia can help to bring change on behalf of gender equality and LGBTQ rights in the kingdom, Coco Gauff said, although the former U.S. Open champion added that she still had some reservations.

In a country that is often criticized over its treatment of women, the tennis world debates the pros and cons of holding the elite women’s tournament there.

Many argued that the WTA Finals should be awarded to the Czech Republic, a country with much more tennis tradition and which had submitted an offer very similar to that of Saudi Arabia. The feeling is that WTA has chosen this solution not to waste a very important chance, since Saudi Arabia could aim for men’s tennis in the coming years.

The sellout crowd was bathed in purple light and the screens ringing the stadium flashed a countdown to a clubby beat. The latest conquest in Saudi Arabia’s unstoppable advance into the world of sports — soccer,

Coco Gauff reveals she had reservations about the WTA Finals moving to Saudi Arabia but says sport can be a way to open doors to people; WTA Finals run in Riyadh from November 2-9; Gauff hopes that people see us and what we represent,