Second seed Andy Roddick [ Images ] breezed into the fourth round of the Australian Open [ Images ] with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over France's [ Images ] Julien Benneteau [ Images ] on Friday.

Roddick, who has already enjoyed comfortable victories over Michael Lammer and Wesley Moodie [ Images ] this week, now meets Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis [ Images ] for a place in the quarter-finals.

The world number three barely needed to kick into top gear against the qualifier and their 159-place difference in the rankings was evident throughout. The 23-year-old American restricted the Frenchman to just 40 points in total and sealed the match with his 17th ace after one hour and 22 minutes

GAUDIO DUMPED

Out-of-sorts eighth seed Gaston Gaudio wilted in scorching heat and was beaten 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4 by Frenchman Fabrice Santoro [ Images ] in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday.

Both players appeared to suffer badly as temperatures hovered around 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Vodafone Arena at Melbourne [ Images ] Park, with unseeded Santoro sitting swathed in ice packs during changeovers in the fourth and fifth sets.

Gaudio, the 2004 French Open [ Images ] champion, looked uncomfortable and sluggish early and was on the brink of a straight-sets defeat before staging an incredible fightback as the Frenchman wilted in the heat in a match lasting almost four hours.

However, the 33-year-old Santoro earned the decisive break in 10th game of the final set to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for only the fourth time since he turned professional in 1989.

He faces 11th seed David Ferrer of Spain in the next round.