Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova needed five match points to complete a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 fightback into the French Open fourth round on Sunday as she defeated Elise Mertens.
The 2021 Roland Garros finalist who missed months with a knee injury, will be playing at the last-eight stage for the eighth time at a Grand Slam.
The struggle lasted for three hour, nine minutes, second-longest of the tournament so far on the WTA side.
Pavlyuchenkova is fast improving her ranking of 333, the result of her long absence from the courts in 2022.
The 31-year-old is the youngest Paris Grand Slam quarter-finalist in history.
Main photo:- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova winning in three hours today – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
