Serena advances at French Open; Sharapova up next

Serena Williams was in control of her third-round match against Julia Goerges from start to finish Saturday, defeating the 11th-seeded German, 6-3, 6-4, and setting up a fourth-round showdown against longtime rival Maria Sharapova.

Williams, who is playing her first Grand Slam tournament since returning from maternity leave in March, broke Goerges' serve twice in the opening set, at 3-1 and 5-3, before claiming the set in 31 minutes.

She broke Goerges again early in the second set to take a 2-1 lead, and the pair exchanged breaks over the next two games before Williams held serve to go up, 4-2. From there, she never looked back, winning the second set, 6-4, and advancing to the fourth round, where she will square off against Sharapova in a marquee matchup Monday.

Williams and Sharapova have met once before at the French Open, in the 2013 final, which Serena won, 6-4, 6-4. Overall, Williams owns a 19-2 record against the Russian, with Sharapova's last win over the American coming in 2004 at the Tour Championships.

John Isner also advanced on Day 7 of play, defeating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the third round to equal his best performance ever at the French Open. The No. 9-seeded Isner, who also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in both 2014 and 2016, will square off against No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro next.

Earlier Saturday, reigning US Open women's champion and No. 10 seed Sloane Stephens advanced to the French Open fourth round for the fifth time in her career, surviving a tough test from hard-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi, 4-6, 6-1, 8-6, in two hours, 26 minutes.

The 25-year-old Florida native, who reached the Round of 16 in Paris four straight years, from 2012-15, will next face No. 25 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia. A win for the American would put her in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time.

In other action, Steve Johnson's 2018 French open campaign came to an end, as he bowed out to No. 3 seed Marin Cilic, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

In doubles play, the American duo of Jennifer Brady and Vania King advanced to the third round in women's doubles, while Abigail Spears paired with Juan Sebastian Cabal of Colombia to reach the third round in mixed doubles.