Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open

It was far from easy, but top-seeded Serena Williams battled her way into the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday with a gutsy 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 27 Victoria Azarenka at Roland Garros.

Williams' win sets the stage for an intriguing clash of Americans in the round of 16, where she'll face off against Sloane Stephens.

The two-time French Open champion stumbled out of the gates Saturday, dropping the first set, but her experience and toughness took over in the second and third sets, while Azarenka seemed to fold under pressure.

Vika entered the match with a lengthy streak of success in Grand Slam matches after winning the first set, but Serena proved to be her kryptonite under those circumstances once again Saturday, according to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

Although Williams entered the match with a 15-3 career record against Azarenka, she told WTATennis.com that Saturday's affair would be an extremely tough test:

"

Out of all of the top players, for whatever reason, she's given me some particular troubles. She's great at what she does. She fights hard and never gives up, and she's really feisty. I think that's obviously why she's been able to be a Grand Slam champion, not just on one occasion. Those players aren't the easiest to play; they also get you excited to play those matches.

"

Clay has traditionally been Vika's worst surface, but she came out firing and showed the Grand Slam champion form Serena talked about in the first set.

Williams looked totally out of sync, much like she did in the first set of her second-round match against Anna-Lena Friedsam. Azarenka managed to break Serena twice en route to a 6-3 victory in the opening set.

It was obvious that the favored American was scuffling, as she could be heard talking to herself in an effort to gain some motivation, per Nick McCarvel of USA Today:

Even the fans picked up on the fact that the world's No. 1 player wasn't performing at anywhere near her typically high level, according to Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:

Clarey praised the Belarusian underdog's demeanor in the opening set:

Serena was already reeling after a poor first set, but Vika put the pressure on even more early in the second set. Following a pair of held serves, Azarenka scored her third break of the match, which put her on top 2-1 and in the driver's seat.

Williams is often able to blast her opponents off the court due to her dominant serve, but Azarenka was essentially neutralizing it.

ESPN's Darren Cahill was taken aback by how effectively the 25-year-old star managed to return:

Three consecutive held serves made it 4-2, and although Azarenka seemed to be on the brink of closing Williams out and moving on to the next round, Matt Cronin of USTA.com wasn't convinced that Vika would be able to hold it together:

That manifested itself quickly, as Williams held serve to make it 4-3 and then secured her first break of the second set shortly thereafter.

Serena's break leveled the score at 4-4, and it seemed to get Williams back in the match competitively as well, per Clarey:

That carried over to her service game, as she aced her way to a 5-4 lead and gave herself a chance to win the second set with another break of Vika's serve.

Serena took a 40-0 lead on Azarenka's serve, but she squandered three set points before ultimately regaining the advantage and closing it out to force a decisive third set.

It didn't come without controversy, though, as a ball hit by Azarenka was erroneously called out and Serena returned it into the net. The set point was replayed rather than giving Vika the point, which she was none too pleased with.

According to Rothenberg and McCarvel, it led to an angry exchange between the two players:

Williams ultimately went on to win the replayed point, which gave her momentum entering the third and final set.

Despite that head of steam, Serena was immediately broken to start the final set, which put Azarenka back in control. She then held her next serve at love, putting the pressure right back on Williams' shoulders.

As pointed out by Carole Bouchard of The Yellow Ball Corner, Azarenka seemed to be using her anger from the end of the second set to her advantage:

That dynamic turned, though, as Serena held her serve and then broke Vika right back to level the set at 2-2. Her momentum continued to snowball after that. She added another hold and a second break to take a commanding 4-2 lead.

Azarenka had nothing left at that point, as her obvious frustration allowed Williams to take the next two games and win the match.

After the match, Azarenka talked about her history of tough Grand Slam draws, according to SI Tennis:

Serena certainly had to earn Saturday's victory, and while there are concerns regarding her game after two straight three-set matches, the fact that she has been tested could be advantageous moving forward.

She is the clear favorite to advance to the finals out of her half of the bracket, and she could be on a collision course with Maria Sharapova, who has won two out of the past three French Open titles.

Williams proved Saturday that she is never out of a match, even against a supremely talented opponent. That should give her confidence as she pursues the third French Open championship of her storied career.

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