Nadal extends clay winning streak to 63

MONTE CARLO, Monaco – Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 63 matches Wednesday after beating Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Nadal, the two-time defending French Open champion, is seeking his third straight Monte Carlo title. He has not lost on clay since Igor Andreev of Russia beat him in the quarterfinals of the Valencia Open in April 2005.

“It was very nice to come back here and play the first match like this,” Nadal said. “I felt very well, very comfortable on court. I could have served a little bit better, but for the rest I’m very happy.”

The second-seeded Spaniard next plays Kristof Vliegen of Belgium – a repeat of last year’s third-round match, which Nadal won in straight sets.

Andreev beat fourth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Nadal and Andreev could meet again in Sunday’s final.