nightmare on Saturday, conceding his third round French Open battle to Spanish 28th seed Tommy Robredo after being two sets up.

Robredo advanced 4-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 as Hewitt snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, serving up 12 double

faults and dropping serve eight times having led 3-0 in the final set.

The 21-year-old Robredo next meets either Gaston Gaudio of Argentina or three-times winner Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil for a place in the quarter-finals.

Their match was held over after the light faded with Kuerten two sets up and the players level 3-3 in the third.

"I think that there's nothing better than this match," said Robredo, who prevented Hewitt improving on a dismal record here which has seen the Adelaider reach the quarter-finals just once in five visits.

"Beating the world number one like this is the best thing I can imagine. To do it in this way coming back from three-love in the fifth set was just incredible," gasped Robredo.

"I couldn't have imagined it. If you want to beat him you have to run. You have to play aggressively. That's why I beat him. I was very confident with my forehand and good mentally. I was very consistent."

Hewitt said he had played some of his best tennis ever on clay during the first two sets, but that he had taken his foot of the peddle at the start of the third.

"If I had been able to keep it going in the third like I did in the first two I was good enough to beat Tommy. But I will get over it pretty soon. I'll bounce back."

Meanwhile, marathon man Albert Costa hauled himself back from the brink for the third match in a row, the Spanish defending champion overturning a two-set deficit to see off Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti in a 4hr 39min battle.

Costa, the ninth seed, seemed out for the count after Lapentti steamed into a deserved lead, but by the end he could hardly move as his rival finally advanced 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to book a meeting with Arnaud Clement of France.

"I don't know how I managed to get out of that one," said Costa.

"Clement will be another tough nut to crack but I am relaxed about that one," said the 27-year-old Costa, who has not won a tournament since his final win over Juan Carlos Ferrero here 12 months ago.

Spanish third seed Ferrero underlined his title credentials by beating British 25th seed Tim Henman 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in 2hr 50min to advance to a meeting with compatriot Felix Mantilla, a 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over another Spaniard, Fernando Vicente.

Costa's win was 52 minutes shy of the all-time record match length here, Alex Corretja having needed 5hr 31min to beat Argentine Hernan Gumy in 1998.

Lapentti said he should have caused an upset.

"In the fourth set when I led 4-1 I should have won easily but afterwards I began cramping," said the 26-year-old.

Clement, seeded 32, beat fellow Frenchman Nicolas Coutelot 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to book his passage.

Chilean 19th seed Fernando Gonzalez went through after 12th-seeded Dutch opponent Sjeng Schalken retired injured with Gonzalez leading 7-6, 6-3, 3-1.

The Chilean next faces Finnish 30th seed Jarkko Nieminen, who defeated Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Earlier, three top women contenders advanced in double quick time as Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters, US seventh seed Jennifer Capriati and US third seed Venus Williams all raced into the fourth round.

Capriati blasted Ukraine's Julia Vakulenko 6-1, 6-2 in just 57 minutes to book a meeting with Nadia Petrova of Russia, who demolished Marissa Irvin of the United States 6-1, 6-1.

Capriati beat Clijsters here in a thrilling 2001 final which went to a women's record 12-10 in the final set.

This year both women are heading the opposition to defending champion Serena Williams and last year's beaten finalist Venus Williams, who hammered Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 6-1, 6-2.

Venus now meets Russian 22nd seed Vera Zvonareva, who moved past Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 6-3, 6-4.

Clijsters walloped Paola Suarez of Argentina 6-2, 6-1 in 64min on the Philippe Chatrier Centre Court.

Lindsay Davenport, the US sixth seed, beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 7-5 and next takes on Spain's former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez.

With eighth seed Chanda Rubin also in the next round, five Americans have made it to the last 16.