( CNN ) -- Rafael Nadal stepped up his bid for a fifth French Open crown with a straight sets win over former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in Paris on Saturday . Second seed Nadal was made to fight hard against a determined Hewitt , but wrapped up a 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory in two hours 28 minutes on the Philippe Chatrier court at Roland Garros . Nadal was often extended in cold and windy conditions but said he is running into his best form for the second week of the grand slam . `` I am playing better now and today was a good test against Lleyton and to win against him in three sets is very good news , '' he said in a courtside interview . Hewitt made an immediate break of service against Nadal , but the Spaniard immediately retrieved it and a further break saw him take the opener . It was Hewitt 's turn to hit back after the early loss of his service in the second but once again it was Nadal who pulled clear to take a two sets lead . The third set again followed the same pattern , with Hewitt having to hit back after an early loss of service before slipping to defeat on the third match point . Nadal will now play young Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci , who beats Croat veteran Ivan Lubicic 7-6 6-2 6-4 , in the fourth round . Earlier , sixth seed Andy Roddick made a third round exit to Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili to continue his dismal run at Roland Garros . The big-serving American has never got beyond the last 16 in the clay court grand slam and was roundly beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 by world number 114 Gabashvili . `` I 've fought through a couple of matches that were a bit dicey but today I got outplayed from the first ball , '' Roddick told AFP . `` He played good tennis . Credit to him . He got the best of me and he was getting the best of me on 70 percent of the points . '' Gabashvili will now play Austrian Juergen Melzer , who shocked ninth seed David Ferrer , easing to a 6-4 6-0 7-6 win over the Spaniard , who had been favored to challenge in Paris . But 22nd seed Melzer was always on top and wrapped up victory in the third set tiebreak which he claimed seven points to one . Third seed Novak Djokovic booked his place in the second week with a relatively comfortable 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 win over Victor Hanescu , the 31st seed from Romania . The Serbian has a last 16 clash with American Robby Ginepri , who shocked Spanish 16th seed and 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero , 7-5 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-4 . Russia 's Mikhail Youzhny , the 11th seed , will face French eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round after wrapping up a 2-6 7-6 6-2 6-3 win over Serbia 's Viktor Troicki in a match held over from Friday .
Rafael Nadal eases into last 16 of French Open with straight sets win over Lleyton Hewitt . Third seed Novak Djokovic also through after win over Victor Hanescu . Andy Roddick and David Ferrer make third round exits in Paris .