RECORD MOLDED IN CLAY
Rafael Nadal breaks clay-court record in
first round at French Open

PARIS—King of Clay Rafael Nadal passed Guillermo Vilas and began his pursuit of a second successive French Open trophy.
       Nadal earned his 54th consecutive win on clay Monday, breaking the Open era record he shared with Vilas by beating Robin Soderling of Sweden, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1, in the first round at Roland Garros.
       “It’s special,” Nadal said. “Fifty-four victories, it’s very, very difficult. It’s a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches. It’s important for me.”
       With Vilas sitting in the second row, the No. 2-seeded Nadal overcame a 4-2 deficit in the 68-minute second set, then pulled away. After the match, Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy—a cutaway sample showing the multiple layers of a clay court.
       “If I had to lose that record, I’m pleased I was losing it to somebody like that,” Vilas said. “It’s a pleasure to see him play and fighting. It’s very good for tennis. He will inspire a new generation of players.”
       Gusty wind kicked up clouds of clay and light rain occasionally fell on a chilly afternoon, contributing to plenty of sloppy play. But for the second day in a row, there were no major upsets.
       Former champions Gaston Gaudio and Juan Carlos Ferrero beat qualifiers in straight sets. Two-time runner-up Kim Clijsters overcame a 5-2 deficit in the second set and three set points to beat Virginie Razzano of France, 6-0, 7-6 (4). Seeded second, Clijsters committed five double-faults and 32 unforced errors.
       Nadal, who won the title in his French Open debut last year, improved to 18-0 on clay this year. His last defeat on the surface came on April 8, 2005 against Igor Andreev of Russia.
       During the streak, 39 of his victories have come in straight sets. But seldom has Nadal been forced to contend with such a swirling wind.
       “One of the worst days for play on clay,” he said. “I was very happy, because I started playing very well in spite of the conditions.”
       Argentina’s Gaudio showed the steady baseline game that helped him win the championship two years ago as he beat Croatian qualifier Roko Karanusic, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
       The No. 10-seeded Gaudio has yet to win a tournament this year and arrived in Paris with a three-match losing streak. But he faced little resistance from Karanusic, the 180th-ranked Croatian who was playing in his first tour-level match of the year.
       “It was quite easy to win for me,” Gaudio said. “It’s the first time he plays in Roland Garros, so I made the most of that opportunity.”
       Karanusic’s career tour record fell to 1-12, including 0-5 in majors.
       Ferrero, the 2003 winner from Spain, beat 17-year-old Argentine qualifier Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. Ferrero, seeded 24th, had 45 unforced errors but also 52 winners.
       “I played at a good level,” Ferrero said. “I have a lot of confidence with my forehand and my backhand. ... I am 100-percent fit.”
       Five-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, playing only her 10th match of the year, beat Sybille Bammer of Austria, 6-4, 6-3.
       Williams had seven double-faults and 33 unforced errors, but moved forward aggressively and won 19 of 25 points at the net.
       It was the first Grand Slam victory this year for Williams, who lost in the opening round at the Australian Open and was then sidelined for three-and-a-half months by injuries.
       “Very happy to be back,” Williams said. “Seeing your ranking going down, down, down—it was unavoidable.”
       No. 6 Elena Dementieva, the 2004 runner-up, beat Martina Sucha of Slovakia, 7-6 (3), 6-2. No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova eliminated Laura Granville of the United States, 6-4, 6-0.
       In men’s play, No. 8-seeded James Blake showed the flair that has helped him crack the top 10 this year, beating Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
       Blake matched his best showing at Roland Garros, and all he had to do was win a single match. He lost in the second round in his three previous tournament appearances.
       Blake is 3-4 this year on clay, a surface that has long vexed Americans, but he has won two hard-court titles in 2006 and is seeded eighth.
       “I’m hoping I keep moving forward and keep progressing,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting better, especially on clay. It’s fun being where I am right now.”
       No. 26-seeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina and No. 32 Nicolas Massu of Chile won five-setters. Acasuso edged French veteran Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 1-6, 11-9, in a match suspended in the final set on Sunday because of darkness. Massu outlasted Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, 6-1, 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 9-7.
       Blake will next play Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who improved to 19-6 on clay this year by beating Australian Wayne Arthurs, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Almagro figures to be a more formidable challenge than Paradorn, whose record on clay fell to 0-6 this year and 12-33 lifetime.
       “The next round will be more normal clay-court tennis, and it will be interesting to see how good I’ve gotten at that,” Blake said. “I feel like I’ve improved so much since last year. I’m excited to play one of the best clay-courters and see how I can do.”
       No. 18 Elena Likhovtseva, a semifinalist last year, became the first seeded player to be eliminated. Croatia’s Karolina Sprem hit 32 winners to beat Likhovtseva, 6-1, 6-1.
       In the opening match on center court, No. 7-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland hit nine aces and beat 17-year-old Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-2. No. 9 Francesca Schiavone defeated Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko, 6-4, 6-3.
       In other men’s play, No. 13 Nicolas Kiefer of Germany improved to 6-0 against Jurgen Melzer of Austria by winning, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-1. No. 21 Sebastien Grosjean of France celebrated his 28th birthday by beating Andrei Pavel of Romania, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
       No. 11 Radek Stepanek beat France’s Michael Llodra, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. No. 31 Dmitry Tursunov, who arrived in Paris with a 1-5 clay-court record this year, swept Czech Jiri Novak, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. AP