Paris ? Venus Williams did plenty to beat herself, and 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva took care of the rest.

The young Bulgarian defeated an erratic Williams, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, Friday in the third round of the French Open.

“I had never heard of her before this match,” Williams said. “She played well, definitely. But I also felt like if I just played 10 percent better, I’m going to win this match easily.”

Williams hit just nine winners and committed 52 unforced errors, including seven double faults. She lost serve nine times, including all four service games in the final set.

It was the latest Grand Slam disappointment for the 11th-seeded Williams, who was seeking her fifth major title and her first since 2001. She hoped for a strong showing at Roland Garros after winning a final for the first time in a year last week at Istanbul.

Williams showed up for the customary postmatch news conference shortly after her defeat, explaining that she was eager to return to Florida.

“I want to leave,” she said. “I have nothing more to do here. I just want to go.”

Younger sister Serena Williams missed the tournament because of a lingering ankle injury.

Karatantcheva, ranked 98th, won the Roland Garros juniors title last year and earned her first victory in a Grand Slam match earlier this week.

Lindsay Davenport refused to wilt in the 85-degree midday heat despite being pushed to three sets for the third consecutive match. The top-ranked Davenport survived her toughest test yet and beat unseeded Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Davenport’s fourth-round opponent will be two-time French Open runner-up Kim Clijsters, who eliminated No. 20-seeded Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal displayed his characteristic flair and won a center-court showdown between 18-year-old prodigies, beating Frenchman Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Top-ranked Roger Federer, bidding for his first French Open title, beat No. 25-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6 (9), 7-5, 6-2. Federer hit 11 aces and improved to 44-2 this year.