The Serbian, twice a semi-finalist in Paris, kept her cool in the key moments although she made 33 unforced errors in fading light on Suzanne Lenglen court.
Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic secured her place in the fourth round of the French Open with a 6-4 7-6 win over Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko on Saturday.
The Serbian, twice a semi-finalist in Paris, kept her cool in the key moments although she made 33 unforced errors in fading light on Suzanne Lenglen court.
Bondarenko, the 27th seed, fought back from a break down in the decider, but made a hash of the tiebreak, losing it 7-3 after one hour and 46 minutes when she netted a routine backhand.
Jankovic will next face Slovakian 23rd seed Daniela Hantuchova for a quarter-final spot.