PARIS, May 31: Kim Clijsters capitulated while Venus Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Gustavo Kuerten all bellowed ominous warnings on Friday’s fifth day of French Open action.

Fourth seed Clijsters’s Roland Garros dreams were blown apart in the third round by a virtually anonymous Argentine as she slumped 6-4 6-0 to 87th-ranked Clarisa Fernandez.

Runner-up last year and a favourite to go one better this time round, the Belgian never got out of first gear on a sun-baked Court One.

“There are greater tragedies in life than losing a tennis match,” she said afterwards, but the pain was evident in her forced smile.

“I just felt tired and my whole body felt heavy... to be honest I didn’t play very well.”

That was not an accusation that could be levelled at Wimbledon and US Open champion Williams.

The second seed, still without a French Open crown, refused to be diverted from her path, blasting aside Italy’s Rita Grande 6-1 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

“If you just shut your opponents out and don’t make too many mistakes, you won’t find yourself in a situation that is out of your control,” she said with typical candour after the one-sided victory.

Defending champion Gustavo Kuerten is beginning to look more and more comfortable as he guns for a third straight crown here and he took out up-and-coming Chilean baseliner Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 2-6 7-6 6-4.

The seventh-seeded Brazilian came into the Open short of match practice after hip surgery in February.

But with each match, the Roland Garros magic returns and he is hitting form at the right time.

“I have surprised myself, that is true,” he grinned after coming off court. “I knew today would be very, very tough and I came through okay.”

Clijsters’s boyfriend, world number one Hewitt, beat Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 6-1 7-5 6-7 6-1 to also stay on track in the French capital.

Third seed Tommy Haas won his pass to the winners’ circle, sweeping aside Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3 7-5 2-6 6-4.

America’s Monica Seles, the sixth seed, beat Ludmila Cervanova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-2 to move into the fourth round.

She now plays another Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, seeded 11, who beat Russia’s number 18 seed Tatiana Panova 6-3, 6-1.

Guillermo Canas, seeded 15th, dug deep to beat former world number one and 1998 champion Carlos Moya 4-6 7-6 6-7 6-1 6-2 in a match which was suspended half way through when the arena was evacuated because of a bomb scare.

Security officials emptied the court after an unattended briefcase and rain coat were discovered.

For Hewitt’s match, an absence of fans caused by the opening match of the soccer World Cup between France and Senegal left large gaps in the centre court stands.

But Hewitt treated those who did turn up to a gutsy performance.

The Australian next faces Canas in the last 16.

Fernandez had earlier shone on court one, playing with great poise throughout the third round match with Clijsters.

She sent the Belgian scampering around the bull-ring arena with a succession of gently-flighted backhands, confidently hitting winners once she had out-manoeuvred her opponent.

Clijsters — who has been troubled for much of the year with a shoulder injury — appeared ill at ease throughout the 65-minute ordeal.

There was little sign of the grit that saw her push Jennifer Capriati all the way in last year’s epic final, although as defeat loomed she tried to dig her heels in.

She saved two match points with identical backhand winners smacked firmly down the line. Fernandez squandered a third with a double fault but eventually, on her fifth, the Argentine sealed victory when Clijsters netted a forehand.

On Thursday evening, Marat Safin, the Russian second seed, came from behind to defeat Olivier Rochus of Belgium to reach the third round.

Safin won 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to book a meeting against David Nalbandian of Argentina.

RESULTS:

Men (third round):