PARIS: Last year's French Open runner-up Coco Gauff overcame an early wobble to outclass Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-5, 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals, where she could face a potential rematch with holder Iga Swiatek.
Gauff won her previous clash with Schmiedlova in Madrid last year, dropping only two games, and the American made a quick start again with a break in the opening game to pull away and leave her 100th-ranked opponent facing an uphill task.
But 28-year-old Schmiedlova, playing in the second week of a major for the first time, mounted a late fightback from 5-2 down to draw level only to squander her opportunity and allow sixth seed Gauff to edge a tense first set.
The 19-year-old Gauff tightened her grip in the next set, working the angles and deploying the drop shot to devastating effect as she closed out the victory without any more drama.
Gauff will now await the winner of the fourth round match between world number one Swiatek and Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.
Ons Jabeur was a woman in a hurry at the French Open, as the seventh seed eased into the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-3, 6-1 win over American Bernarda Pera in bright sunshine.
Jabeur's season has steadily gathered steam in Paris after the Tunisian world number seven had minor knee surgery earlier in the year and skipped the Madrid Open due to a calf problem following her run to the Charleston crown.
In another fourth round match, 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7, 6-3, 7-5.
Last year's runner-up Casper Ruud battled into the quarter-finals with a tough 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 win over Chile's Nicolas Jarry.
The fourth seed from Norway struggled against claycourt specialist Jarry, who led in the last two sets but could not take his chance
"If we had gone five sets I don't know how long we would have played," said Ruud on court Philippe Chatrier.
"I have to thank my team for pushing me in practice. I did the work and physically I was ready for more."
The 24-year-old has reached the final of two of the last four Grand Slams he has played, the two times he has got as far as the last eight.
Ruud next faces sixth seed Dane Holger Rune in a re-match of last year's quarter-final who beat Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6. Agencies
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