Paris, June 3 :

Belgian pair Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters stayed on course for a French Open semi-final showdown when with straight sets wins in their third round ties.

Reigning champion Henin-Hardenne defeated Italy’s Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 6-0 and US Open champion Clijsters made light work of Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues winning 6-3, 6-4.

That left them just two games away from what would be their first encounter at Roland Garros since the 2003 final which Henin-Hardenne won at a canter. Henin-Hardenne though, must first tackle Russia’s Anastasia Myskina, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Ana Ivanovic.

Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt closed in on a potential French Open showdown with defending champion Rafael Nadal after easing past Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.

Hrbaty, who survived two five-set marathons to get to the third round, saved one match match point in the eighth game of the third set but was unable to stop Hewitt from celebrating victory when he hit a forehand wide on the second. Hewitt, a former world number one and US Open and Wimbledon winner, has never got beyond the quarter-finals here.

In other matches, Gisela Dulko of Argentina beat Shenay Perry of the USA 6-1, 6-1; Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany defeated Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-2, 7-6 (7/2); and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.