onte Carlo Masters - Nadal irrepressible on Monaco clay
Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal moved into the last 16 at the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-4 6-3 win over Jarkko Nieminen in the second round.
Nadal was given a stern test in the opening set by the doughty Nieminen with a solitary break separating the pair, before the world number two brushed aside his battling opponent in the second to get his clay-court season underway in confident fashion.
The Spaniard has completely dominated this tournament, winning it the last seven years since losing in the third round in 2003 as a 16-year-old to Guillermo Coria. Then after missing the event in 2004, he has won every year since 2005.
Nadal now has an amazing 40-1 record at the tournament, winning 38 matches in a row, while he extended his head-to-head record against Nieminen to 7-0 – which includes a 69-minute, 6-2 6-2 rout at the same stage of last year’s tournament.
Nadal imposed himself in typically belligerent fashion as he broke Nieminen in the very first game of the match with a clinical assault on his opponent’s serve.
But the world number two did not run away with proceedings as Nieminen showed real tenacity and resolve in persistently reducing the deficit with some tireless running and gutsy play around the court.
Indeed, Nadal was given a real scare in successive service games as Nieminen forced each into deuce with a dogged resistance, but the Spaniard came through both unscathed.
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