Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic stayed on course for a French Open semi-final showdown on Friday while Maria Sharapova survived a scare and Serena Williams crashed to her worst performance here since 1999.
Nadal, bidding to emulate Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four successive Roland Garros titles, needed treatment on his blistered right foot before brushing aside Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
He will now face compatriot, and fellow left-hander Fernando Verdasco, for a place in the last eight. Third seed Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, enjoyed a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over America's Wayne Odesnik and will play French 18th seed Paul-Henri Mathieu, who put out Argentine qualifier Eduardo Schwank in four sets.
Sharapova, the top women's seed who is seeking a French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, dropped a set for the second match in a row before seeing off colourful American Bethanie Mattek 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the third round.
But Williams's eighth Roland Garros appearance came to a disappointing end losing 6-4, 6-4 in the third round to Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik to suffer her earliest Roland Garros exit since playing as a 17-year-old in 1999.
World number two Nadal, who has now won all of his 24 matches here, has played four days in succession, a consequence of the havoc brought to the programme by torrential rain earlier in the week.
"The foot was blistered and I suffered a little bit. But I didn't want what happened a week ago to happen again," said Nadal who suffered the same problem in a shock Rome Masters defeat.
Nadal was joined in the last 16 by fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro after the 19th seed ended Britain's Andy Murray's hopes 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5. Almagro will tackle French wildcard Jeremy Chardy, the world 145, who put out Russian 30th seed Dmitry Tursunov. Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, who beat American seventh seed James Blake in the second round, reached the last 16 for the first time with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti.
Gulbis, at 19, is the youngest player left in the men's draw and he will now face one of the oldest in Frenchman Michael Llodra who served-and-volleyed his way to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) win over Italy's Simone Bolelli.
Sharapova had led her second round match with Mattek by a set when it was called off for the night on Thursday. The American then levelled before Sharapova overpowered her opponent with her battery of groundstrokes and will now face Italian Karin Knapp for a place in the last 16.
Williams had defeated the 27-year-old Srebotnik in all three of their previous meetings, but the Dubai-based Slovenian said she had picked up crucial knowledge from their last match-up on clay in Charleston last month.
She will now face Swiss 10th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, who flew back to Zurich overnight for treatment on her injured ankle, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Second seed Ana Ivanovic, who lost last year's final to Justine Henin, looked comfortable, after a sluggish start, in despatching rising Danish player Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-1. Ivanovic will face Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic.
French hopes in the women's event came to an end with Schnyder's 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-2 win over Emilie Loit while 19th seeded Alize Cornet lost 6-4, 6-4 to Polish 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
FRENCH OPEN RESULTS
MEN 2ND ROUND:
-- Florent Serra (FRA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5)
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Alejandro Falla (COL) 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-0
-- 3rd round
-- Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
-- Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN x26) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
-- Michael Llodra (FRA) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
-- Fernando Verdasco (ESP x22) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x15)
-- Nicolas Almagro (ESP x19) bt Andy Murray (GBR x10) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5
-- Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-2
-- Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x30) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-4
-- Women 2nd round
-- Nadia Petrova (RUS x25) bt Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3
-- Maria Sharapova (RUS x1) bt Bethanie Mattek (USA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
-- Vera Zvonareva (RUS x11) bt Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro (FRA) 6-2, 6-4
-- 3rd round
-- Ana Ivanovic (SRB x2) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x30) 6-4, 6-1
-- Katarina Srebotnik (SLO x27) bt Serena Williams (USA x5) 6-4, 6-4
-- Petra Cetkovska (CZE) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-3, 6-3
-- Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x14) bt Alize Cornet (FRA x19) 6-4, 6-4
-- Patty Schnyder (SUI x10) bt Emilie Loit (FRA) 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-2
-- Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 6-3, 6-3.