Rafael Nadal extended his Monte Carlo Masters winning streak to 43
matches in beating Marinko Matosevic 6-1, 6-2 in the second round on
Wednesday.
The eight-time defending champion nearly trailed 3-0 in the second set,
but he saved break points before taking control of the match.
There were ironic cheers from the crowd when Matosevic won his first
point after losing the first seven points, and the tall Australian threw
both arms up in the air twice to milk the applause when he won his
first game to pull back to 4-1.
The third-seeded Nadal dropped his serve at the start of the second set
and Matosevic held for a surprising 2-0 lead, and he even had a chance
to go further ahead, but Nadal saved the first break point with a
forehand winner down the line and Matosevic dumped the next opportunity
into the net with a sloppy backhand.
Nadal cut out the wild shots after that and played with a more clinical
edge, eventually wrapping up victory on his first match point with a
pass down the line.
Nadal will face Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the third round.