LONDON, England -- No.6 seed Ons Jabeur had to dodge the rain and come from a break down in the third set to reach the second week of Wimbledon for the third year in a row.

Jabeur defeated Bianca Andreescu 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 48 minutes and reprised the result of her only previous meeting with Andreescu in the third round of Montreal in 2021, when she had ended the Canadian's title defense 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1.

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Last year's runner-up advances to the fourth round of a major for the eighth time overall and will next face No.9 seed Petra Kvitova in the fourth round. Earlier, the two-time champion advanced 6-3, 7-5 past qualifier Natalija Stevanovic.

The former World No.5 Andreescu was making her Centre Court debut and bidding for her first Top 10 win at a Grand Slam since defeating Serena Williams in the 2019 US Open final. Though she fell short over three top-quality sets, the 23-year-old Andreescu leaves Wimbledon with a career-best third-round showing under her belt.

How the match was won: A meeting between two of the Hologic WTA Tour's most creative players delivered on its promise and was ultimately decided by the slimmest of margins. The first two sets were decided by one break each. The third -- which was interrupted by a rain shower with Andreescu leading 3-2 -- was eventually completed under the Centre Court roof.

This week, Andreescu has felt she is beginning to reignite some of the magic of her 2019 season. That was on show in the first set, which showcased both her power and variety. Jabeur had faced only three break points in her two previous matches, but phenomenal returning from Andreescu saw the World No.50 grab the key break for 3-1.

Andreescu held a point to go up a break in the first game of the second set, but Jabeur staved it off efficiently. At 2-2, Andreescu had another opportunity to get to deuce on the Tunisian's serve, but a forehand that landed on the baseline was erroneously called out. Andreescu challenged the call, but canceled this after Jabeur shook her head. Instead of deuce, Jabeur was able to move up 3-2.

That game proved pivotal. In the next game, Andreescu showed visible frustration for the first time after missing a forehand. By contrast, Jabeur began to play her finest tennis of the match, nailing a series of brilliant backhands down the line to seal the key break for 4-2.

As the third set got underway, the entertainment level rose. Andreescu showed off her athleticism, chasing drop shots and leaping for overheads to break for 3-1 -- but then double-faulted to hand the break back immediately.

Following a sudden downpour, Andreescu held a pair of break points to regain the lead. But Jabeur's play in the home stretch would be characterized by supremely clutch serving. She escaped danger there, then moved up 5-4 after Andreescu threw in an error-strewn service game at the worst moment. Serving for the match, Jabeur converted her first match point with her fifth ace of the day.

Andreescu on her poor record after rain delays: "Oh my God, the rain delays," she said afterwards. "Honestly, I don't know. I'm feeling good during those rain delays. I'm staying very pumped up, speaking to my team. Maybe it's my mindset. Maybe it's all the times I did have a rain delay I didn't do so well coming back. Maybe that's in the back of my head unconsciously. I really don't know.

"Yeah, I really wish I knew. Maybe I have to change something during those rain delays. Maybe just sit quiet in a corner and not listen to my music or think about anything. I don't know. It comes with experience, I guess."

Jabeur on how the rain delay helped her: "Funny, I played Bianca twice, and twice we got stopped by the rain," she recalled after the match. "It was in Montreal and here. When I went back, I knew it's going to be in my favor. 

"I'm thankful that my coach was there and gave me a lot of advice about tactical and technical things that I was doing maybe wrong and I needed to improve. It was very emotional for me to stop. I had Melanie, my mental coach there. She encouraged me, just gave me a lot of positive energy. I think that's what I needed to complete and win this match."