Safin makes a jarring exit at French Open

PARIS (AP) -- Marat Safin's troubled tennis season took another wrong turn Saturday with a five-set loss Fabrice Santoro in the third round of the French Open.

The second-seeded Safin -- his racket-tossing temper again on display -- produced one error after another in losing 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 0-6, 6-1 to the Frenchman.

"This afternoon is the greatest happiness, the greatest joy," Santoro said.

The defeat was latest setback for the U.S. Open champion. Before this tournament, Safin had not advanced past the second round in his last five major tournaments. He has been hampered by a back injury since February.

The Russian refused to attend a postmatch news conference, drawing a $10,000 fine.

Santoro next faces No. 13 Alex Corretja, who advanced to the fourth round by eliminating Sweden's Magnus Larsson 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.

Earlier, Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams beat qualifiers in straight sets and moved a step closer to a possible quarterfinal showdown.

Capriati, seeded fourth, defeated Croatia's Mirjana Lucic 6-3, 6-1 on a wind-swept center court to advance to the fourth round.

Minutes later, the sixth-seeded Williams downed Hungary's Zsofia Gubacsi. She had seven aces on her way to a 6-1, 6-2 third-round victory, her most impressive win by far in the tournament.

Conchita Martinez, last year's runner-up, made her earliest exit from the French Open in 14 years, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Zimbabwe's Cara Black.

This is Capriati best showing in Paris since 1993. In 1990, she reached the semifinals at 14. She lost in the first round last year.

Since then, Capriati has won the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam title, and risen to a career-high No. 4 ranking.

"I think my tennis has improved even since (the Australian Open)," Capriati said Saturday. "I feel stronger here. I'm in better shape."

In the next round, Capriati will face her first seeded player, No. 16 Meghann Shaughnessy. She beat Slovakia's Janette Husarova 7-5, 6-4.

Williams is playing her first tournament since March. A knee injury prevented her from competing for two months and she looked shaky in her opening two matches at the French.

Among the men, No. 10 Sebastien Grosjean beat French countryman Anthony Dupuis 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and will next face Galo Blanco.

Safin made a comeback midway through the third set, taking 11 games in a row after trailing Santoro 4-2 and saving a break point at 4-3 down.

As coach and three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander looked on from the stands, Safin began to hit more winners and cut down on mistakes.

The run ended when Santoro broke to make it 1-1 in the final set. Then came another string of mistakes by Safin, with the crowd loudly applauding each one. He lost the next five games.

During the fifth game, Safin spiked his racket after every point he lost. He saved the first match point with a stinging backhand service return, but exited the tournament on the next.

Martinez, seeded eighth, has reached at least the fourth round every year since 1988 when she started playing at the French. The former Wimbledon champion lost to Mary Pierce in the final last year.

Martinez had the worst losing streak of her career this year, with four consecutive defeats after the second round of the Australian Open.

Her ouster left the tournament without a Spanish player in the fourth round for the first time since 1986. Compatriot and three-time French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was beaten in the second round on Thursday.

Black, ranked 37th in the world, next plays Italy's Francesca Schiavone, who upset No. 10 Amanda Coetzer 7-5, 6-4.

Top-seeded Martina Hingis was to play Australia's Rachel McQuillan on Saturday.

The other half of the women's draw, already depleted by the first-round exits of No. 2 Venus Williams and No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo, was further reduced Friday when Jelena Dokic lost in the third round.

Dokic, seeded 15th, was beaten 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Petra Mandula, a Hungarian qualifier ranked 131st.

"I just don't think it was me out there," Dokic said. "It was a player I shouldn't have lost to. I just couldn't get going."