Serena huffs and puffs into fourth round in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - Serena Williams overcame a sluggish start to beat Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6 6-3 6-4 and reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.

The American second seed will next face Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak, seeded 24th, for a place in the last eight.

Martinez Sanchez bagged an ill-tempered opening set after breaking in the fifth game with a controversial shot which appeared to have bounced off her arm.

Annoyed with the call, Williams went on to level the contest and her opponent eventually ran out of steam, bowing out after two hours 11 minutes on the first match point.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Sonia Oxley; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)