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Friday, July 18
Kuerten wins two-day match

PARIS -- Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was the last player to qualify for the men's fourth round when he beat Argentine Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (1), 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 on Sunday.

Andre Agassi advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Flavio Saretta 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.

Kuerten, seeded 15th, was leading 7-6 (1), 7-5, 3-3 when the match was halted by poor visibility and rain on Saturday.

Guga, who won the tournament in 1997, 2000 and 2001, struggled a little when play resumed in intense heat on Sunday losing the third set before claiming victory in the fourth.

The win was all the more promising for Guga as he has enjoyed a low-key season on clay so far while 21st seed Gaudio is the player with the most victories on the surface this season, with 26 match wins.

In the next round, Kuerten meets Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who beat world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the third round.

In other action, No. 4 Carlos Moya, the 1998 champion, beat No. 13 Jiri Novak 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. He'll next face Dutchman Martin Verkerk, who upset No. 11 Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. Verkerk had never won a Grand Slam match coming into the tournament.

Saretta entered his match against Agassi bothered by a sore muscle in his rear, and he twice required treatment during changeovers. The injury left Saretta with little chance against Agassi, who was so sharp that in one game he landed winners not just in both corners, but on them.

Saretta, forced far out of position during one rally, offered his racket to a spectator even before Agassi finished off the point. During the ensuing changeover, the Brazilian kept the ball in the air, bouncing it off the top of his feet, desperate to give the center-court crowd its money's worth.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Gustavo Kuerten he beat Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (1), 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
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