Paris - Fourth seed Tomas Berdych fought off some stiff resistance from fellow Czech Radek Stepanek to advance to the third round of the French Open 6-3 6-7(7) 6-3 6-3 on Wednesday.
Berdych, who has yet to win a grand slam title despite being in the top-10 for five years, kept his composure despite Stepanek's wily tactics, dropping serve only once.
He wrapped it up on a sun-kissed Court One when 36-year-old Stepanek, who became the oldest man to win a match at Roland Garros since Jimmy Connors in 1991 when he defeated Ivan Dodig in round one, double-faulted.
Berdych will face Frenchman Benoit Paire next.
Results from the fourth day of the French Open at Roland Garros on Wednesday (x denotes seeded player):
Men
First round
Gilles Muller (LUX) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Second round
Gilles Simon (FRA x12) bt Martin Klizan (SVK) 7-5, 6-2, 6-3
Steve Johnson (USA) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x8) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-2, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3
Benjamin Becker (GER) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x32) 6-4, 0-6, 1-6, 7-5, 10-8
Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Kei Nishikori (JPN x5) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Pablo Cuevas (URU x21) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7-6 (9/7), 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5
Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x19) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Benot Paire (FRA) bt Fabio Fognini (ITA x28) 6-1, 6-3, 7-5
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT x24) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x14) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
Gael Monfils (FRA x13) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Tomas Berdych (CZE x4) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-3
Women
Second round
Annika Beck (GER) bt Paula Kania (POL) 6-2, 6-2
Lucie Safarova (CZE x13) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 6-2, 6-0
Sabine Lisicki (GER x20) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-1 - retired
Samantha Stosur (AUS x26) bt Amandine Hesse (FRA) 6-0, 6-1
Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-3, 6-1
Alize Cornet (FRA x29) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 6-2, 7-5
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) bt Simona Halep (ROM x3) 7-5, 6-1
Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 6-4, 6-3
Angelique Kerber (GER) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-3, 6-2
Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
Elina Svitolina (UKR x19) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
Garbie Muguruza (ESP x21) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-1, 6-4