Azarenka through to fourth round

Third seed Victoria Azarenka recovered from a set down to beat France’s Alize Cornet and reach the fourth round of the French Open.

Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, was given a real battle by the Frenchwoman, who came into the tournament in form having won the WTA tournament in Strasbourg last week.

It was a match of many service breaks, 15 in all, particularly in the opening set, when Cornet was rewarded for some impressive play.

The French crowd sensed an upset but Azarenka, who has never been past the quarter-finals in Paris, responded to level the match.

Cornet took a heavy tumble that left her in tears, but it appeared more shock than any real injury, and the Frenchwoman became increasingly agitated as the match slipped away.

In the decider Azarenka was much the steadier and the Belarusian clinched a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory in two hours and 22 minutes to advance to a last-16 meeting with either another Frenchwoman, Marion Bartoli, or former champion Francesca Schiavone.

Meanwhile, 17th seed Sloane Stephens is also through after a tough 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 victory over New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic.