Nadal eases through to the last 16

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PARIS, France -- Holder Rafael Nadal reached the last 16 of the French Open with a 6-1 6-3 6-2 demolition of fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes on Saturday.

The world number two, who turns 21 on Sunday, has not dropped a set so far but could be challenged in the next round when he meets former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

"It was the best match for me so far in the tournament," said Nadal, more at ease now that the courts are faster with no more rain in the French capital.

"I didn't play my best tennis but I played better than in the first two rounds.

"I like having my birthday here but I wasn't thinking about it today," he added. "I'm just happy to be there for the second week and I know the next match will be tough."

Second seed Nadal, bidding to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to collect three successive titles on the Paris clay, wore down world number 50 Montanes with relentless groundstrokes.

Nadal, whose 81-match winning streak on his favorite surface was ended by world number one Roger Federer in the Hamburg final last month, needed two hours and 21 minutes to brush aside his brave but limited compatriot.

The powerful Nadal broke his 26-year old compatriot in the fourth game of the first set and again in the ninth, which went on for ever and which he eventually took with a superb acrobatic volley with his back to the net.

Nadal then served for the set, which he took courtesy of an unforced error from Montanes after 58 minutes.

Fighting for every point, the feisty Mallorcan took control in the second set with a break in the fourth game and stayed on top to take it in just 39 minutes.

Montanes tried his best to resist but soon found himself 3-0 down in the third set. He was trailing 5-2 on his serve when he saved a match point but Nadal earned another, on which Montanes netted a forehand.

Repeat clash

Hewitt, the 14th seed, defeated 20th seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 1-6 6-3 7-5 6-2 to set up a repeat of last year's clash here which Nadal won in four sets on his way to a second successive title.

Nadal insisted that he would not underestimate the gutsy Australian against whom he trails 4-2 in career meetings and especially after their most recent meeting in the Hamburg Masters semifinals where the Spaniard dropped the first set before going through.

"Against Hewitt, it will be difficult," said Nadal.

"In Hamburg, it was very tough and I didn't play very well because of him. Now I have to forget that and take the initiative."

If Nadal comes through the Hewitt test, he could eventually meet 20-year-old Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

But the highly-rated, sixth seeded Serb struggled to reach the last 16 needing more than four hours to clinch a 7-6 2-6 3-6 7-6 6-3 win over French wildcard Olivier Patience.

Djokovic next meets Fernando Verdasco, who beat David Ferrer 4-6 7-6 6-3 6-3 but he toiled to see off his 129th-ranked opponent whose defeat means that for the first time in 10 years there will be no Frenchman in the last 16 of the tournament.

"I'm not playing well at the moment. I'm only playing at half of my possibilities," said Djokovic who converted just two of 16 break points.

Marcos Baghdatis was given an easy ride into the fourth round when Czech Jan Hajek was forced to quit with a shoulder injury.

The Cypriot 16th seed, beaten by Roger Federer in the 2006 Australian Open final, was leading 6-2 6-2 when Hajek conceded the match suffering with tendonitis in his right shoulder.

"He couldn't serve," Baghdatis told reporters. "It was not pleasant. There was a kind of false rhythm in the match. Afterwards I wanted to play again in order to get my bearings."

Sixteenth seed Baghdatis, who recently returned to Cyprus after living in Paris from the age of 13, is having his best run at the French Open and believes he can go further.

"I'm the outsider, this is not my favorite surface," he said, looking ahead to his next match against Russian Igor Andreev. "But I feel great. I feel good on the surface.

"I'm not afraid. I don't buckle under pressure and I can fight and I can find the solution to try and outplay him."

Baghdatis is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman became the oldest man for 35 years to reach the French Open fourth round when he defeated Spain's Oscar Hernandez.

Bjorkman, 35, was the oldest player in the men's singles this year but he showed that age is no barrier to success when he came back from a set down to beat Hernandez 6-7 6-3 6-0 6-1.

He will face 1998 champion Carlos Moya, the Spanish 23rd seed, in a battle of "golden oldies".

Cruised through

Moya cruised through by defeating Argentine qualifier Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-1 6-3 7-5

Bjorkman, playing Roland Garros for the 14th successive year, had to come back from two sets down in his first two matches here, only the fourth man to achieve such a feat.

Nearly 10 years after winning his sole grand slam title at Roland Garros, Moya, seeded 23, showed he is still a force on clay with a textbook display to end the hopes of Brzezicki.

Moya, who has more claycourt titles than any active player apart from good friend Nadal, sealed victory after one hour 50 minutes when Brzezicki miss-hit a forehand over the baseline.

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