Samantha Stosur has kept her French Open hopes alive by progressing into the third round of the competition with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Kristina Mladenovic.

Both competitors were able to hold their service games in the first few exchanges in the first set, but it was Stosur who nabbed the first break to give her the advantage in Paris.

The Australian's strong shots across the clay court proved to be too much for Mladenovic to handle as she relinquished the opening set.

While the pair were fairly evenly matched in the first set, Stosur took control in the second by nabbing a break at the first time of asking and pushed on to take a 3-1 lead.

While Mladenovic tried to launch a comeback, Stosur's powerful forehands and quick returns proved to be damaging, but the Australian's momentum was halted when the match was suspended due to rain with the second set at 4-1.

Following a lengthy time away from the court, the pair returned to action, with Mladenovic winning the first game, but Stosur found her composure once again to get the games she needed to win the match.