PARIS — Naomi Osaka staged a second successive Roland Garros great escape on Thursday as fellow top seed Novak Djokovic, playing in front of his four-year-old son for the first time, and Serena Williams strolled into the last 32.

World No. 1 Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, came back from a set and 2-4 down to defeat former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Her win came on the back of being just two points from defeat in her tournament opener against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

The 21-year-old held her nerve, despite squandering two match points late in the deciding set, to secure a clash against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.

"I was lucky to have played Victoria twice before. I knew she had been playing well coming into the tournament," said Osaka. "It was an unfortunate second round draw for me so I am happy to win."

Osaka finished the two-hour 50-minute encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen with 52 winners and 43 unforced errors.

She becomes the first top seed to win her two opening matches at Roland Garros after losing the first set since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.

"She deserves to be where she is — she is very powerful and explosive," said 29-year-old Azarenka.

Siniakova, the world No. 42, also endured a marathon win, putting out Greek 29th seed Maria Sakkari 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (8-10), 6-3 in a three-hour 10-minute duel. Siniakova had trailed 1-5 in the first set before surrendering a 5/2 lead in the second-set tiebreaker.

Djokovic cruised into the last 32 for the 14th successive year, admitting it had been an emotional day playing for the first time in front of his four-year-old son.

Djokovic, bidding to become just the second man to hold all four Slams at the same time twice, cruised to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen.

Watching from the player's box on Court Suzanne Lenglen was Djokovic's son Stefan. "It's a very special day for me as it's the first time in my life that I have played in front of my son," said the 32-year-old Serb after a 23rd straight win at the Slams.

"He showed incredible patience to sit there for an hour and a half. Usually, he's not that patient with tennis."

Djokovic goes on to face Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso, ranked 147, for a place in the last 16 in Paris.

Thursday was a lot more enjoyable for Djokovic than his last visit to Court Suzanne Lenglen in 2018 when he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Marco Cecchinato.

Three-time French Open champion Serena Williams thrashed Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara to step up her bid for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title.

The 37-year-old cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory and next faces fellow American Sofia Kenin.

"I'm very serious when I play, but I'm happy," said Williams.

A mouthwatering quarterfinal clash with Osaka, who famously beat Williams in a dramatic 2018 US Open final, remains a possibility.

Williams hammered 10 aces and 36 winners past world number 238 Nara, who stands a mere 5ft 1in (1.55m).

Defending champion Simona Halep wasted three match points in the second set of her clash with Poland's Magda Linette but eventually prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Romanian third seed Halep looked in total control when 5-3 ahead in the second set, but saw three match points come and go as world No. 87 Linette leveled at 5-5 before breaking again to force a decider.

Halep rediscovered her form to race into a 5-1 third-set lead, but she stumbled again at the finish line and was broken to love when serving for the match for a second time.

She finally booked a last-32 clash with either Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic or Ukrainian 27th seed Lesia Tsurenko with a break in the next game on her fourth match point.

Fourth seed Dominic Thiem overcame an entertaining challenge from Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik to reach the third round for the fourth straight year.

The Austrian fourth seed was facing a fifth set when trailing 5-2 in the fourth, but reeled off five straight games to win 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 7-5.

World No. 91 Bublik delighted the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd with his wide range of shots, including three underarm serves in the opening set.

The reward for Thiem is a clash against Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas who made it through when British No. 1 Kyle Edmund retired with a knee injury at 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 2-1 down.

Fifth seeded German Alexander Zverev, a quarterfinalist in 2018, easily disposed of Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

Juan Martin del Potro, the Argentine eighth seed and a two-time semifinalist, needed treatment on his right knee against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a three-hour 46-minute thriller.

But he still ground out a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win to progress, sending down 17 aces and 69 winners.

"After four hours of playing great Tennis, for both sides we closed the battle in a very good way," Del Potro told reporters, having bowed before Nishioka at the net after the contest.

"It was a tough match for sure. Long rallies, long points. We made a great match. I played a little bit better than him and that was the key to the match."

Roland Garros's iconic "Bullring" court will be reduced to rubble after this year's championships are over but French wildcard Antoine Hoang can at least look back one day and say he helped write the final chapter on its red dust.

The 23-year-old soaked up the 4,500-seater court's atmosphere on Thursday as his dream Grand Slam debut continued with a superb victory over experienced Spanish 23rd seed Fernando Verdasco.

Ranked 146th, Hoang usually plays on the second-tier Challenger circuit but has more than justified his wildcard with wins against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, ranked 52, and now Verdasco.

There was not an empty seat to be seen as fans roared Hoang home — leaving 35-year-old Verdasco ranting and raving at himself, his coaching team and the fans.

Mexican waves broke out before Hoang served for the match and he responded in style, finishing it off with an ace to huge roars that reverberated around the rest of the complex.

Hoang was followed on to Court One, the official name of the arena built in 1980, by swaggering Italian ninth seed Fabio Fognini who also clearly reveled in the football-like atmosphere whipped up by the fans as he moved into the third round past Argentine Federico Delbonis. Fognini won 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3 and will face Spain's Robert Bautista Agut next. — AFP