The Associated Press

PARIS - For the past year, Serena Williams has been winning every Grand Slam match. Now she's winning every game.

The defending champion routed Barbara Schett 6-0, 6-0 Friday, needing just 40 minutes to finish her third-round match at the French Open.

The victory was the 31st in a row at Grand Slam events for Williams, seeking her fifth consecutive major title.

"Today was just my day," Williams said. "Hopefully I can keep it up."

The top-seeded Williams lost only 14 points in the first set and six in the second. She won 12 points in a row at one stretch and hit 23 winners to two for Schett.

Given the way Williams played, maybe fellow American Meghann Shaughnessy caught a break by losing to No. 16-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 6-1, 6-4. Sugiyama faces Williams next.

On the men's side, Andre Agassi improved to 10-0 in major events this year by beating No. 26 Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. The stylish Malisse lost despite hitting 13 aces and 55 winners.

"He's a great player to watch," Agassi said. "Sometimes the problem is you watch him while you're playing him and you're not watching the ball."

No. 29 Vince Spadea lost to Martin Verkerk 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. That left Agassi as the only American remaining among 13 who entered the men's draw.

"It doesn't say great things for American clay-court tennis if I'm one of the leading players in the clay-court events and my results show up like they do," Spadea said.

No. 4 Carlos Moya, the 1998 champion, needed three hours to beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3.

Wayne Ferreira, playing in his 50th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, left on a stretcher. Trailing Rainer Schuettler in the fourth set, Ferreira hurt his groin chasing a forehand and was forced to quit.

Schuettler, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, led 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (3), 2-3 when the injury occurred.

No. 23-seeded Younes El Aynaoui lost to Mariano Zabaleta 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2). Seventh-seeded Guillermo Coria, at 21 the youngest player remaining in the men's draw, beat qualifier Attila Savolt 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.

The warmest day yet at Roland Garros - muggy and in the mid-80s - provided motivation to work quickly, and No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne and No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo won in straight sets. Henin-Hardenne beat Dally Randriantefy 6-1, 6-1, and Mauresmo eliminated Fabiola Zuluaga 6-3, 6-4.

No. 8 Chanda Rubin rallied to beat fellow American Laura Granville 2-6, 6-1, 6-3. Ashley Harkleroad of the United States lost to Magui Serna 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Schett upset Venus Williams in the first round two years ago, but she was no match for the younger Williams.

Williams closed the first set with a remarkable exchange that left multiple track marks on her side of the clay.

She raced toward a drop shot and scooped it back as she went sliding off the court. Then she reversed direction to hit a running, lunging backhand for a winner as she skidded across the other sideline.

"I'm running really fast here, and that's great," Williams said. "I guess it's the fittest I've been all year."

French Open glance

Men: Seeded Winners -

No. 2 Andre Agassi, No. 4 Carlos Moya, No. 7 Guillermo Coria, No. 11 Rainer Schuettler, No. 13 Jiri Novak.

Seeded Losers - No. 22 Wayne Ferreira, No. 23 Younes El Aynaoui, No. 26 Xavier Malisse, No. 29 Vince Spadea, No. 31 Juan Ignacio Chela.

Women: Seeded Winners -

No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 4 Justine

Henin-Hardenne, No. 8 Chanda

Rubin, No. 16 Ai Sugiyama,

No. 19 Patty Schnyder.

Seeded Losers - No. 14 Eleni Daniilidou, No. 18 Meghann Shaughnessy, No. 31 Laura Granville.