Elena Rybakina now a win away from qualifying for WTA Finals after reaching quarterfinals in Tokyo

Elena Rybakina moved through to the quarterfinals at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon, defeating Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the second round of the WTA 500 event, 6-4, 6-3.

And with that, she's now on the verge of something big.

If she reaches the semifinals in Tokyo, she'll become the eighth and final qualifier for this year's WTA Finals, meaning she's now just a win away.

Standing in her way will be another Canadian, Victoria Mboko, whom she'll play on Friday—if Rybakina wins, she punches her ticket to Riyadh, but if Mboko wins, Mirra Andreeva will become the final qualifier.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini were the first seven players to qualify for the elite eight-player event, which kicks off in nine days.

This was a danger match for Rybakina going in, as Fernandez had won the pair's last two meetings, and both were marathons—a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory in Canada last year, in which she saved two match points, and a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) triumph in Washington D.C. this year.

And after seven straight holds of serve to start the match it looked like we might be in for another close one in Tokyo, but Rybakina broke for a 5-3 lead, and even though she got broken right back in the next game, she then reeled off four games in a row to build a 6-4, 3-0 lead.

From there the two held until it was over, Rybakina serving it out a few games later and sealing it with one last crosscourt backhand winner.

She finished with an even 18 winners to 18 unforced errors, and fought off four of the five break points she faced during the match.

"Today was a very difficult match," she said. "It's always not easy against Leylah, and especially it was the first match for me here, so I'm pretty happy with the win. I'm looking forward to my next match."

Rybakina and Mboko have met twice before, both times this summer, splitting those meetings 1-1. The Kazakh won their first meeting in the second round of Washington D.C., 6-3, 7-5, but the Canadian teenager got revenge at the next event in Montreal, fighting off a match point for a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) semifinal victory at the WTA 1000 event.

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