Australian wildcard Priscilla Hon will resume on Friday within reach of her biggest scalp after taking last year’s French Open semi-finalist Madison Keys all the way to sundown in Paris.
Hon, 21, was on a roll when rain and bad light stopped play with the pair locked 5-7 7-5 in their second round Roland Garros clash.
Keys is the tournament’s 14th seed and boasts a final-four appearance in Paris last year as well as a US Open final, Australian Open semi-final and Wimbledon quarter-final since 2015.
But the Australian didn’t flinch, going toe-to-toe with the American from the baseline and serving smartly in an evenly-matched first set.
Keys showed her class, pouncing when Hon blinked for the first time on serve at 5-6.
But the wildcard didn’t turn over as the pair traded breaks early in the second set.
Hon maintained her level, drilling a forehand winner on her way to another break at 5-5.
She then served out the set to love in fading light as rain began to fall, with the pair set to resume on Friday.
Hon will be the only Australian in singles action on day six, with both Ashleigh Barty and Jordan Thompson due to play their third-round clashes on Saturday after notching day five wins.