Serena Williams vs. Kristina Mladenovic: Score and Reaction for 2016 French Open

Serena Williams survived a tough challenge from home favourite Kristina Mladenovic to advance to the round of 16 of the 2016 French Open, winning 6-4, 7-6 (10) in a match that was suspended for a while due to a rain delay.

The world No. 1 was far from her best on Saturday, and the difficult weather conditions didn't help matters. Williams shifted gears at key times, however, taking the win after a long tiebreak. She'll meet Elina Svitolina in the next round.

Williams didn't start the match well, as Mladenovic appeared more at ease in the rallies and comfortably held her ground from the baseline. The home favourite used the entire court well, playing plenty of drop shots.

It led to a handful of spectacular back-and-forths, including this remarkable rally in the eighth game of the first set, per Roland Garros' official Twitter account:

Williams moved well, though, and showed her wealth of experience by saving three break points in the following game before grabbing the game with two excellent serves.

The first break of the match followed in the next game, handing Williams the set. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times thought Williams stepped up her game when she had to:

But Mladenovic wasn't ready to fold. The 23-year-old started the second set well, fighting off a handful of break points with smart serves. Williams wanted to book her spot in the next round quickly, but she couldn't make the most of her opportunities. As Christopher Clarey of the New York Times shared, the weather wasn't helping:

Light rain fell for most of the second set and intensified toward the end; a stoppage in play seemed inevitable.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Twice Williams led love-40 on Mladenovic's serve, and twice she failed to turn her advantage into a break. The world No. 1 was 1-of-12 on break chances heading into the tiebreak, when the event organisers decided to finally suspend the match with the rain pouring.

Per Clarey, the weather forecast looked dreadful:

The tiebreak eventually went through after a lengthy delay, with Mladenovic taking an early 3-0 lead. Williams made a handful of crucial errors to give her opponent a 5-2 advantage, but some excellent power play turned the situation around.

Williams missed a routine overhead on match point, handing Mladenovic a lifeline and setting up a sequence where the underdog saved three straight match points. She would save a fourth, but the fifth would be the clincher, as Williams forced a backhand error.

Per Nick McCarvel of USA Today, Williams acknowledged Mladenovic didn't make it easy on her:

The American remains on pace to win her 22nd career Grand Slam title, which would tie the Open Era record. While Saturday's win wasn't particularly dominant, it was still a solid display of tennis against a strong opponent and in front of a hostile crowd.

If Williams can cut out the mistakes that plagued her when Mladenovic was on serve, there's little doubt she has what it takes to add yet another title to her impressive resume.  

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