World number one Rafael Nadal stitched up a straightforward 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Lleyton Hewitt on Friday to keep on track his bid for a record fifth consecutive Paris Open crown.

What had on paper looked like a interesting third-round match, with Hewitt one of the few players without a losing record against the Spaniard, quickly became a drab affair as the Australian former world number one put up little resistance.

Nadal pocketed the first set in half an hour when the Australian netted a backhand before taking an early break in the second. Hewitt briefly fought back with his own break in the fourth game of the second before letting Nadal regain control.

Nadal's pink shirt and yellow sweatbands were the match's main bright spots as former Wimbledon and US Open champion Hewitt seemed resigned to his fate from the outset, going out to an ace after one hour and 51 minutes.