Local favourite Garcia holds her nerve to beat Mertens in French Open thriller

Three match points went begging as she served at 5-4 and Mertens seized the chance to break back but Garcia, 26, produced a sensational game to break again for a 6-5 lead.

Getting over the finishing line was proving a mental trial for her and the fans and she framed a forehand wildly on her fourth match point and then double-faulted on a fifth.With the tournament's daily attendance having been limited to 1,000 fans because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the atmosphere at Roland Garros has been subdued, not helped by the wet weather that has persisted in the French capital.

"To have some crowd to be able to share it with, it's even more special, especially as they were really cheering for me. I think Elise lived the moment like me." Garcia was one of three Frenchwomen to reach the third round and will now face Ukrainian third seed Elina Svitolina for a chance to equal her 2017 run to the quarter-finals here, which was also her best showing in a Grand Slam.

Mertens's exit continued the fall of seeds at this year's tournament. Only 13 of the top 32 seeds survived until the third round, the lowest at a Grand Slam since the introduction of 32 seeds at Wimbledon in 2001.

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