Former Roland Garros runner-up Sofia Kenin continued her resurgence with a 6-3, 6-3 upset of No.21 seed Caroline Garcia in 1 hour and 25 minutes to reach the third round in Paris for the fourth time.

The 56th-ranked American had a disastrous start to 2024, winning just one of her first 11 matches. But Kenin found her groove in style in Rome, upsetting Ons Jabeur en route to the third round. On Court Philippe-Chatrier, she delivered another cool-headed tactical performance to take out the French No.1, her third win in as many meetings with Garcia. Indeed, Kenin has yet to drop a set in their rivalry so far.

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Afterwards, Kenin pinpointed her decision to drop down to the WTA 125 tournament in Lleida the week before Rome as the start of her turnaround.

"I won my first match in Lleida [over Irene Burillo Escorihuela]," she said. "I was on a nine-match losing streak this year. So I felt like getting that win, it obviously helped me for Rome, and then winning those two rounds there gave me confidence. Then even though Strasbourg [where Kenin lost to Chloe Paquet in qualifying] wasn't the best, but I'm glad that it's coming together here because, obviously, this is the place where you want everything to come together.

"Even at the start of the year, I wasn't playing as I am playing right now. I feel like I'm definitely more fitter, doing the right things from my end; fitness, diet, everything. Obviously it's paying off."

Rain meant that a Frenchwoman on Chatrier was almost the only show in town for a second day running, following Alizé Cornet's emotional final match on Tuesday. But Garcia fell to her fourth consecutive second-round exit at Roland Garros, and the 11th time she has lost before the third round in 14 appearances to date. Only three home players remain in the draw: Varvara Gracheva, Diane Parry and Chloe Paquet.

Kenin will next face either No.9 seed and 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko or Clara Tauson as she bids to make the second week of a major for the first time since Roland Garros 2021.

Hot shots and clutch play: There were moments in the match where Garcia was able to overwhelm Kenin with sheer superior pace -- particularly on serve, where she tallied seven aces to Kenin's one.

But the former WTA Finals champion was unable to execute this on a consistent basis -- thanks in large part to Kenin's counterpunching ability. Time and again, Kenin was able to pull off absurd gets to turn around points she had seemed almost out of. Indeed, she finished with more winners than Garcia -- 26 to 23 -- as well as fewer unforced errors, 14 to 22.

In the pivotal fifth game of the first set, Kenin chased down a full-blast Garcia smash to land a lob precisely in the corner of the home player's court. Garcia ended that rally, and the next, with wild forehand errors to drop serve for the first time.

Seeking to close out the set, Kenin also found a magnificently angled backhand pass as she built a 5-3 lead. Her first-strike play proved equally effective, as she then broke Garcia for the set courtesy of two clean return winners.

Kenin also rose to the occasion on big points, saving three of the four break points she faced. By contrast, Garcia was unable to reliably close out important games. In the first set, she was broken for the first time after failing to convert five game points to hold; in the second, Kenin captured her serve for a 3-1 lead after Garcia had been unable to take two game points.