MONACO – Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak at the Monte Carlo Masters to 43 matches, beating Marinko Matosevic 6-1, 6-2 Wednesday in the second round.
The eight-time defending champion nearly trailed 3-0 in the second set, but he saved break points before taking control of the match.
The third-seeded Nadal will face Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the third round.
Later, top-ranked Novak Djokovic will play Mikhail Youzhny. Djokovic decided on Tuesday to play despite his sore right ankle. He twisted it while playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup on April 7.
Fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych, ninth-seeded Marin Cilic, Florian Mayer and Jarkko Nieminen also won. Nieminen estopped Milos Raonic 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (3).
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.