Pierce is delighted with a point.

Mary Pierce, the champion in 2000, moved into round four of the French Open by dumping out ninth seed Vera Zvonareva.

Pierce triumphed 7-6 7-5 in the early-evening sunshine at Roland Garros to keep her hopes of an unlikely repeat triumph alive.

The home favourite fought back from an early break down to force a tie-break in the first set.

And the mentally fragile Zvonareva was well beaten in it.

A player who has often been reduced to tears on court, the Russian came close to crying again as she raged at herself as Pierce outplayed her during the breaker.

The French ace rattled off seven consecutive points to take the tie-break 7-2 and the die was cast.

Zvonareva didn't fold, as many would have predicted, in the second set but she still had to bow to Pierce who goes through to face Patty Schnyder in round four.