Federer taught a clay court lesson by Kuerten

Gustavo Kuerten has knocked top seed and Swiss world number one Roger Federer out of the French Open with a scintillating three…

Gustavo Kuerten has knocked top seed and Swiss world number one Roger Federer out of the French Open with a scintillating three set victory in the third round.

Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Federer, who lost in the first round at Roland Garros in 2002  and 2003, was made to look ordinary by the Brazilian, whose clay court prowess was evident in the 6-4 6-4 6-4 scoreline.

Kuerten, who remains the darling of the Paris crowd after his three wins in 1997, 2000 and 2001, has been dogged by hip problems in recent years but he dominated from the start.

The 27-year-old Brazilian reduced Federer's outstanding all-round game to a sorry collection of mis-timed shots and wayward placement on centre court.

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Kuerten sealed his comprehensive victory with a huge first serve after two hours four minutes. The 28th seed will play either Spanish 23rd seed Feliciano Lopez or South Korean lucky loser Lee Hyung-taik in the last 16.