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Kuerten coasts into quarterfinals


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Kuerten is bidding to be the third man to win four French titles
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Hewitt is too strong for Malisse
Men's Results
28-Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) beat 23-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3 7-5 6-4; Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) beat Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-4 7-5 6-3; 12-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 7-5 6-2 7-6 (8-6); 8-David Nalbandian (Argentina) beat 20-Marat Safin (Russia) 7-5 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil moved smoothly into the quarterfinals of the French Open with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win over Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in Paris.

The 28th-seeded Kuerten, who eliminated top seed and world number one Roger Federer in the last round, next meets Argentine eighth seed David Nalbandian.

Unseeded Gaston Gaudio is another of four Argentinians in the quarter-finals after a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win over Russia's Igor Andreev.

Gaudio now faces Australian 12th seed Lleyton Hewitt, conqueror of Belgian Xavier Malisse.

Before this year, the most Argentinians at a Grand Slam quarter-final stage had been two when Jose Luis-Clerc and Guillermo Vilas reached the last eight in Paris in 1982.

That mark was equaled by Nalbandian and Coria at the US Open in 2003. Nalbandian and Gaudio now line up alongside fellow countrymen Guillermo Coria and Juan Ignacio Chela.

Third man

Kuerten, 27, winner in 1997, 2000 and 2001 is bidding to become the third man to win four titles in the 113-year history of the tournament after Henri Cochet and Bjorn Borg.

The Brazilian outclassed his less experienced opponent on center court in less than two hours and wrapped up victory with a forehand volley.

"I never expected this would happen," said Kuerten, whose other Paris triumphs were achieved before he underwent hip surgery in 2002.

"It's such a big pleasure to play here, everything is working in my game so far," he said after seven aces in the one-hour, 53-minute command performance.


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