Potential rivals Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka joined the early exodus of leading seeds from Roland Garros on Saturday.

Spanish third seed Badosa retired at 6-3 2-1 against Veronika Kudermetova while Sabalenka, seeded seventh, lost 12 of the last 13 games - including eight in a row - against Italy's Camila Giorgi.

World No.1 Swiatek, the 2020 champion, marched on to the fourth round with a 6-3 7-5 defeat of Danka Kovinic.

It has been over 100 days - and 31 matches - since Swiatek last lost.

"Thinking about all these stats, it's not really helpful. So basically I try to be really strict in terms of my thoughts and try to really focus on ... finding solutions," said 20-year-old Swiatek.

Her next opponent is Zheng Qinwen, a 19-year-old from China who is ranked 74th and in her second grand slam tournament.

The next highest-ranked opponent remaining in the draw is American Jessica Pegula, the 11th seed, who powered into the last 16 for the first time with a 6-1 7-6 (7-2) win over last year's semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek.

Swiatek and Pegula are on course for a quarter-final clash.

Badosa was forced to retire with a right calf injury. She required medical attention during her match and then decided early in the second set that she could no longer continue.

Kudermetova will face the American No.22 seed, Madison Keys, who beat the No.16 seed Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3).

Sabalenka went down to big-hitting Italian Giorgi 4-6 6-1 6-0 on Court Simonne Mathieu.

Sabalenka, a former world No.2, won a hard-fought opening set but then was reduced to a mere spectator as Giorgi scorched the court with winners.

The Belarusian managed to win only one more game as Giorgi completed a remarkable comeback win in an hour and 42 minutes.

The 30-year-old Giorgi will next meet the No.20 seed Daria Kasatkina.

France's Alize Cornet was also forced to retired but said she was more hurt by the jeering from her home crowd than the pain from her injury.

Cornet pulled out while trailing 6-0 3-0 to Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen.

With both her thigh muscles heavily bandaged, the 32-year-old Cornet was barely able to move around on court and later said that she had torn an abductor muscle during her win over Jelena Ostapenko.

"What is amazing is that people dared to boo me on the court when I had to abandon the match. And it was because I was in pain," she said. "But sometimes the French audience surprises me and not always in the right direction."

Cornet's loss and the end of the fairytale run of local wildcard and grand slam debutant Leolia Jeanjean ended the French challenge in the women's draw.

Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu took 85 minutes to defeat Jeanjean 6-1 6-4 and will meet Pegula.

Reuters

Australian Associated Press