A compelling quarter-final will take place on Sunday afternoon, as World No. 1 Serena Williams and Italian No. 1 Sara Errani will meet for an eighth time on the professional tour at the prestigious Roland Garros Grand Slam event. Serena leads the head-to-head series 8-0 and has been entirely dominant throughout the series.

In a match that many expected to end in straight sets based on the remainder of their rivalry, Serena Williams had to claw her way back from a set and a break down to defeat Sloane Stephens in three sets to work her way into the quarter-final round. In the end, Williams was able to regroup in the third set and closed out the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

“I felt like if I had made a shot here or made a shot there, then maybe the first set could have been different. But today I started out slowly, even though I was really warmed up and really ready,” Williams said. “But it’s not how you start, I guess it’s how you finish. That’s kind of how I’m looking at it.

“Obviously I’m disappointed. Usually I’m winning in straight sets, and I’m business both on and off the court. Now I’m just winning, and that’s a good thing too, but there’s always room for improvement.”

In a far simpler match on court, Sara Errani continued her impressive run in Paris with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Julia Goerges. She struck five winners and broke serve on five occasions to earn her place in the final eight.

Williams leads Errani 8-0 in the head-to-head series, with four of those wins taking place on clay, including their most recent three encounters. While the Italian is coming off a fantastic week in front of her adoring fans, it is not likely to give her much of a boost against Williams, who has overpowered her in all of their previous meetings.