Zheng Qinwen of China hits a shot against Victoria Mboko of Canada in a women's singles third round match at the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris, France, May 30, 2025. /VCG

Eighth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China beat qualifier Victoria Mboko of Canada 6-3, 6-4 in the women's singles third round at the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris, France, on Friday, matching a career best by advancing to the last 16, all without dropping a set in her first three matches.

Zheng broke Mboko first in the fourth game of the first set. Although the 18-year-old soon returned the favor after roaring back from 40-15 down in the next game, Zheng converted another break in the sixth, and then ended the set with an ace in the ninth.

The second set was just as intense, with each player putting together love games to break each other's serves at the first time of asking. Zheng added another break in the fifth to take the lead. Mboko had two game point opportunities in the 10th, but Zheng saved both to hold serve, putting away the match in straight sets.

"I was born in China in a really hot place, which is called Wuhan, so I handled the hot weather quite well," Zheng said. "Last year, when I played the Olympic Games, it was hotter than this. So actually I like this condition, but I want to say thanks to all the crowd, who suffered here under the sun today with me."

The 22-year-old also praised Mboko. "I want to say congrats to my opponent, because I feel she played really well, and I think we pushed each other to play our best tennis. And sometimes we had really good points. It was not an easy match," she added.

Zheng will face 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia next.

In other action, three-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Olga Danilovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-3 to book her spot in the round of 16.

"The ball flies much faster," Sabalenka said. "The bounces are much higher." She will play 16th-seeded Amanda Anisimova of the USA next.

Fifth-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland continued her title defense by knocking out Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 6-2, 7-5, extending her French Open winning streak to 23 matches.

"She used her chances and just went for it," Swiatek said. "For sure I don't mind. On clay it gives the balls the extra bounce." She will face 12th-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the last 16.

In the women's doubles competition, China's Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai squandered an early lead, bowing out in the second round after a spirited comeback lifted Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri and Japan's Eri Hozumi to victory 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3.

Tang Qianhui of China teamed up with Makoto Ninomiya of Japan and suffered a similar fate. After grabbing the first set 6-3, the Asian duo fell to the French tandem of Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry, who rallied to claim the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2 to reach the third round.

And in the mixed doubles draw, China's Jiang Xinyu and the USA's Robert Galloway dispatched the pairing of Wu Fang-hsien of Chinese Taipei and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands 7-6, 6-2 to reach the second round.