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

Combining 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.

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.

The 23rd seed will face Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The American qualifier ousted the tournament’s sentimental favourite, stabbing victim and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) in the Czech’s emotional comeback to tennis.

Stosur’s quarter of the draw had already opened up with the shock first-round exit of world No.1 Angelique Kerber and it has since become even more inviting after Kvitova’s departure.

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

– AAP