As Elena Rybakina fights to stay in contention for a WTA Finals berth, every win counts regardless of how it comes.

Ningbo: Scores | Draws | Order of play

On Thursday in Ningbo, she was forced to battle, suffering through a grueling 2-hour and 48-minute contest to defeat Dayana Yastremska 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Despite the physical toll and humid conditions, Rybakina was able to muster just enough strength to close out the match with her 10th ace.

“It was a long day,” Rybakina said after the match. “The conditions, with it being so humid, are unusual for us. But I’m very happy I managed to win and thank you all so much for staying and supporting me.”

The victory sends her to the Ningbo quarterfinals for the first time, where she’ll face an in-form Ajla Tomljanovic for a spot in the semifinals.

Here’s how the world No. 9 locked in and got the job done:

Second-serve dominance: Yastremska was able to match Rybakina’s first serve, especially in the second and third sets. It was an impressive performance, albeit aided by a below-average performance in that department by Rybakina’s standards, who landed just 52% of her first serves.

But Rybakina made up for it with a commanding edge on her second serve, winning 56% of her second-serve points compared to 38% for Yastremska. In the third set, she won 12 of 13 second-serve points — an impressive 92% clip.

With both players facing just one break point in the final set, Rybakina’s reliable second serve proved decisive.

Key moments: Trailing 4-2 in the opening set and having just been broken, Rybakina broke back immediately and won the final four games to take the set. After Yastremska had saved two set points, Rybakina fired an ace to set up the third to close it out.

It was the first, but not the last ace she would conjure up in a big spot.

She failed to convert two match points in the second set, allowing Yastremska to force a decider. Early in the third set, Rybakina then faced a break point in her opening service game but erased it with a second-serve ace. She broke for a 4-2 lead shortly after and later clinched the match with one final ace on her third match point to send her to the quarterfinals.

What’s next: There, Rybakina will meet Tomljanovic in their third career matchup. She leads the head-to-head 2-0, with their last meeting coming at Wimbledon in 2022.

In that quarterfinal match, Rybakina rallied from a set down on her way to a first Grand Slam title. 

This will be their first meeting played on a hard court.