Rafael Nadal remained on course for a fifth consecutive French Open title with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Lleyton Hewitt.
Top seed makes light work of Australian battler
World number one Rafael Nadal remained on course for a fifth consecutive French Open title with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Lleyton Hewitt.
Nadal's 31st consecutive success at Roland Garros - he has never lost at the Paris venue - was as one-sided as the scoreline suggests.
Hewitt put up most resistance in the second set when he retrieved a break of serve, showing his renowned fighting spirit after falling behind early on.
But Nadal was soon back in front, producing one of the shots of the tournament with a forehand winner down the line at full stretch to break serve again.
He then strolled through the third set to clinch victory and set up a fourth-round meeting with Robin Soderling.
Peak form
Nadal admitted he is reaching peak form after dismissing Hewitt who had entered the tournament in confident mood.
"I felt much better today than the other days," he said. "I've improved a little bit every day. You must be playing well to beat Lleyton.
"It's an amazing result for me. I'm happy, really happy."
The Australian confirmed that the four-time champion will continue to prove hard to beat.
"He's as good as he's ever been right now," he said. "He's number one in the world. His record on all surfaces is good, he's holding three of the four grand slams.
"Today he was hitting his spots and mixing it up extremely well. It's tough against him."
