Nadal makes sure-footed start on Barcelona clay

World number one Rafael Nadal began his campaign for a fifth successive Barcelona Open title with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory over Portuguese qualifier Frederico Gil on Wednesday.

The Spanish top seed broke Gil's serve in the third game and coasted into the last 16 with three more breaks on the clay in the Catalan capital to set up a third-round clash against unseeded Belgian Christophe Rochus.

"It was a win without too much bother," 22-year-old Nadal told a news conference. "I was always comfortable without really doing anything spectacular."

Nadal, who had a bye into the second round, became the first man to win the Monte Carlo Masters five times in a row when he beat Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final and is the overwhelming favourite for a fifth consecutive French Open title.

In other second-round matches on Wednesday, second seed Fernando Verdasco beat Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 7-5 6-3. The Spanish world number seven will play Czech 15th seed Tomas Berdych on Thursday for a place in the last eight.

Third-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko defeated Frenchman Arnaud Clement 7-6 6-2 and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, the fifth seed, won 6-4 6-4 against Jose Acasuso of Argentina.

Spanish sixth seed and 2004 winner Tommy Robredo beat Acasuso's compatriot and the 2004 French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 7-6 6-1, and David Nalbandian, also from Argentina, defeated Russian Igor Kunitsyn 7-5 6-4.

Monte Carlo Masters semi-finalist Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-1.