World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course to win her first French Open title after defeating Daria Kasatkina in straight sets at Roland Garros on Saturday.
The four-time major champion flew through the first set in ruthless fashion but was given a bigger test in the second before securing a 6-0, 7-5 third-round victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Sabelenka, who lost in last year's final to Coco Gauff, wasted little time to get going in sun-drenched Paris, winning the opening five games with a mix of power from the baseline and precision at the net, before she fought from 15-40 down in the next to secure a bagel.
Russian-born Kasatkina, who began representing Australia last year, broke and held against the run of play in the second set.
An unforced error from Kasatkina allowed Sabalenka to draw level at 2-2, and she stayed in touch before dialling up the intensity late on to complete her eighth victory in 10 meetings between the pair.
It also meant the 28-year-old has now won 100 matches as the world's top-ranked player. “It means the world,” said Sabalenka about reaching the century marker.
“I am just happy that in those tough moments I stayed tough, I was fighting and never gave up and this is where it brought me.
“I am super proud of myself and my team. We have reached an amazing level that felt impossible but I am super proud of that.
“I'm happy to be in the second week, happy with the level I have played and with the fight that she brought, that I could handle it to win in straight sets.”
The Belarusian will now face another four-time Grand Slam champion in Naomi Osaka after the Japanese former world No 1 came through a two-hour 58 minute epic against Iva Jovic.
Osaka, seeded 16th, had to dig deep before overcoming American 18-year-old Jovic 7-6 6-7, 6-4 as the 28-year-oold sealed her first appearance in Round 4 on the Paris clay.
“Honestly, today I was a lot calmer than my first few matches,” Osaka said. “In Slams, the further I get, the calmer I am because it's such a privilege to be here.”
Meanwhile, there will be a men's champion at this year's French Open following Novak Djokovic's surprise defeat against teenager Joao Fonseca.
Jannik Sinner's stunning defeat on Thursday left Djokovic as the only man in the draw to have won a major title but there will be no 25th Grand Slam trophy here for the 39-year-old after he was beaten 4-6 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 by Brazilian Fonseca.
“I actually didn't believe I could win the match. I just played and enjoyed being in the court,” Fonseca, the world number 30, said after Friday's victory.
“I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. Djokovic doesn't miss and we still think he's 20. At the end of the match, he was more fit than me. When the day was getting darker, I felt much slower.
“I just believed I could do aces, it was crazy – I felt like John Isner. I have never done that before. I am super happy that I could finish like this.”
It is just the second time Djokovic has ever lost from two sets up, with the only previous occasion coming here 16 years ago against Jurgen Melzer.
Djokovic turned to all sides of Court Philippe Chatrier as he walked off and he offered no guarantees he will be back next year, saying only, “I don't know”, when he was asked about the prospect.
The Serbian admitted he “ran out of gas” after struggling with injury over the last two months but was full of praise for his opponent.
“Hats off,” said the former world No 1. “He just played lights-out tennis. Every time there was a decisive moment, he went for it.
“The kind of level of tennis we've seen him play created a lot of hype around him, and I think we have all seen today why there is hype around him.”
World No 1 Sinner had been expected to stroll to the title in the absence of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz but ran out of energy in the Paris heat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
This means that second seed Alexander Zverev is now in pole position to win his first Grand Slam crown with the German taking on Dutchman Jesper De Jong in Round 4 on Sunday.
