Mirra Andreeva s lucky charm fuels third round triumph in the French Open

Mirra Andreeva, the young Russian sensation, shared a heartwarming story after her impressive French Open third-round victory against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva. The world number six revealed that a small, colorful fabric patch with floral patterns, placed on her bench before the match, served as her "lucky charm" during her commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over the 32nd seed.

"When I was walking on court a little girl put a drawing on my bench and I kept it. It's my lucky charm," the 18-year-old explained. "Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her because it is my lucky charm."

Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals last year, is proving to be one of the most in-form players in Paris, having already claimed titles at Indian Wells and the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this season. Her control was evident as she broke Putintseva's serve three times in the first set.

After a brief rain delay in the second set, with Andreeva leading 2-1, Putintseva briefly rallied. However, Andreeva quickly regained her composure, winning the next four games consecutively to confidently secure her spot in the fourth round. She is now set to face her good friend Daria Kasatkina in what promises to be a compelling encounter.

In other notable women's singles action, American second seed Coco Gauff continued her strong clay-court season, cruising past Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). Gauff, a finalist at both the Italian and Madrid Opens this year, will next challenge Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who dispatched compatriot Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2.

Third seed Jessica Pegula demonstrated her fighting spirit, battling back from a set down to defeat former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in their third-round clash. The American, who missed last year's clay-court Grand Slam, is aiming for her second quarter-final appearance in Paris. Pegula's next opponent will be France's Lois Boisson, ranked 361st in the world, who triumphed over compatriot Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5.

In an all-American matchup, seventh seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys edged out 31st seed Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Keys is slated to play another American, Hailey Baptiste, who continued her best-ever run at a major by defeating Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets.