Stosur powers to third round of French Open

Paris: Samantha Stosur has bossed her way into the French Open third round with a claycourt masterclass in Paris.

Mixing awesome firepower with sublime touch, Australia's big title hope outclassed Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in one hour and 33 minutes on Wednesday.

Sam Stosur through to third round

Beating unseeded Flipkens in straight sets to reach the French Open third round. Cibulkova and Kvitova both knocked out at the second round stage

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Nadal and Djokovic ease through

To the men's third round of the French Open with comfortable straight set victories.

Sam Stosur through to third round

Beating unseeded Flipkens in straight sets to reach the French Open third round. Cibulkova and Kvitova both knocked out at the second round stage

The impressive victory over the one-time world No.13 vaulted Stosur into the last 32 at Roland Garros for the ninth straight year and extended the former runner-up's winning streak on the surface to seven matches.

Flipkens had beaten Stosur before on grass, but it was obvious from the very first point that the Belgian wouldn't cope with the Australian's brutal, high-spinning groundstrokes on the European red dirt.

Pushing Flipkens deeper and deeper beyond the baseline, Stosur conjured two break points in the opening game of the match.

Flipkens displayed some extraordinary counter-punching to hang tough from 15-40 two service games in a row before Stosur finally broke the world No.87 on her sixth chance.

Soaring in confidence, Stosur skipped to the changeover, held her next game to love before breaking Flipkens again with a running topspin lob and uncontrollable forehand to charge 5-2 ahead.

The 24th seed dropped just two points on serve all set, taking it in 33 minutes before starting the second in similar fashion.

Her only lapse of the match came in the fourth game, overcooking a forehand to offer Flipkens a lifeline.

But Stosur broke straight back before forcing a second-set tie-breaker.

The Strasbourg International winner saved a set point with a booming backhand return pass before crunching her 21st forehand winner to clinch victory on her first match point.

Stosur will play either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Friday for a spot in the fourth round.

AAP