No.2 seed Elina Svitolina needed to summon all of her trademark grit Thursday to halt Emma Raducanu's comeback in the second round of the ASB Classic, battling into the quarterfinals 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-1 in 2 hours and 49 minutes.

A narrowly contested first-time encounter saw Raducanu hold off a late Svitolina charge in the first set, edging the tiebreak despite losing a 5-1 double-break lead. Raducanu, playing her first tournament following an eight-month injury layoff, seemed to be on the verge of victory when she led 3-1 in the second-set tiebreak, only for Svitolina to rattle off 10 straight points to level the match. The Ukrainian then motored through the decider as No.301-ranked Raducanu faded.

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Both players impressed with all-court aggressive play throughout, with Svitolina tallying 52 winners (including 11 aces) to 26 unforced errors, and Raducanu finding 39 winners to 24 unforced errors. Svitolina notched her second straight win over a major champion in as many matches this season so far, having defeated Caroline Wozniacki in her opener.

The matchup pitted one of 2024's big-name comebacks against 2023's benchmark for them. Svitolina was last year's Comeback Player of the Year, returning from maternity leave in April before winning her 17th career title in Strasbourg, reaching the Roland Garros quarterfinals and making her third major semifinal at Wimbledon. She will next play No.5 seed Marie Bouzkova for the third time. The Czech player dismissed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-1 on Wednesday.

Svitolina owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Bouzkova, including both of their completed matches. No.36-ranked Bouzkova's only victory in the series came via retirement in the second round of Guangzhou 2019. Their quarterfinal will be a rematch of the 2020 Monterrey final, which Svitolina won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

How the match was won: Raducanu raced out of the blocks, blitzing a series of winners from all corners of the court and converting her sixth break point to capture the Svitolina serve in the third game. The 2021 US Open champion extended her lead with confident drop shots and smart injections of pace as she leapt out to 5-1.

A brilliant reflexed lob from Svitolina marked the start of the Ukrainian's response. The 29-year-old hit back with a run of five straight games, only for Raducanu to gather herself in time to force a tiebreak. The former World No.10 maintained her composure there, converting her second set point after ending a terrific exchange with another drop shot.

The second set found Svitolina doubling down with her aggressive efforts, lasering returns and thumping overheads to lead 3-1. But a double fault down break point in the next game beckoned Raducanu back into the set, and the Briton's proficiency at the net put her on the front foot again.

Raducanu held a point to break for 5-3 -- but it would be her last of the match. Svitolina would not be troubled on serve for the remainder of the match, racking up the aces and service winners to keep Raducanu at bay. In the second-set tiebreak, Raducanu led 3-1, but ended it with a trio of loose forehand errors that enabled Svitolina to level.

In Svitolina's words: "It was a really tough match. Emma played really well -- we both played really great tennis, I think. I'm happy I had these two tough opponents in the beginning of the year, and I got past them.

"[The first set] was really a rollercoaster. I couldn't play as well as I would have liked in the tiebreak, so I was a bit disappointed, but I tried to come back into the match and stay tough in the second. Being tough is what helped me win the match."