PARIS, 1 June 2003 — World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt endured another Roland Garros nightmare yesterday, 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 in suffering his sixth loss of the year 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 quarterfinals.

“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 quarterfinals just once in five visits.

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 on the Suzanne Lenglen Court — 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.

Spanish third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero underlined his title credentials when he beat British 25th seed Tim Henman 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in 2hr 50min to reach the last 16 of the men’s singles at the French Open.

Felix Mantilla, seeded 20, is also through after beating another Spaniard, Fernando Vicente, 7-6 (7 3), 6-3, 6-3 and will next play Ferrero or Henman.

Costa’s win was still 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.Clement, seeded 32, beat fellow Frenchman Nicolas Coutelot 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on center court to book his passage.

Also going through in the men’s event were Chilean 19th seed Fernando Gonzalez, whose 12th-seeded Dutch opponent Sjeng Schalken retired injured with Gonzalez leading 7-6 (7 4), 6-3, 3-1. The Chilean next faces Finnish 30th seed Jarkko Nieminen, who defeated Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

While the men were slugging it out, the top women advanced in double quick time as second seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium, 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 in just 52min.

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. Capriati, who like Clijsters has dropped only nine games so far, played her best match of the tournament against Grand Slam debutant Vakulenko, just 19. Lindsay Davenport, the US sixth seed, beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 7-5 and next will take 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.