PARIS — The defending champion Serena Williams needed five match points Saturday after waiting out a rain delay of more than two and a half hours, but she eventually moved into the fourth round of the French Open with a 6-4, 7-6 (10) victory over 26th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic of France.
On the men’s side, the sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France had to quit his third-round match because of a groin strain. Tsonga, a two-time semifinalist, was leading Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, 5-2, in the opening set when he was forced to stop.
The tight, well-played match at Court Philippe Chatrier between Mladenovic and Serena Williams was suspended when a thunderstorm arrived before second-set tiebreaker.