China's seventh seed Zheng Qinwen fell short against Russia's Elina Avanesyan in three sets despite forcing a tiebreak in the decider in the third round of the French Open on Saturday.

Zheng won the first set 6-3 with one more break than the world number 70, and again broke early in the second, but the Russian, who is on a 5-0 run against Top 15 players, leveled the match by winning the second set 6-3 before play was halted by rain.

The Chinese 21-year-old rallied from 5-2 down in the decider, winning four games in a row, before the Russian held and took the 10-point breaker 10-6 to reach the last 16 at Roland Garros in back-to-back years.

Zheng, who reached a career high in the Australian Open final in January this year, has yet to make it past her best record at the French Open, which came in her debut in Paris two years ago when she was knocked out in the round of 16 by Poland's world number one Iga Switaek.

Avanesyan will next meet Italian Jamine Paolini who edged out Canada's Bianca Andreesca 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.