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Spanish teenage prodigy Rafael Nadal has set up a new milestone in the history of clay court tennis with his record 54th consecutive win on the dirt.
CRI Special: French Open 2006
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The defending champion overcame erratic weather conditions to beat 21-year-old Swede Robin Soderling 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Monday en route to reach the plateau.
Nadal had little trouble in the first and third sets, but lost his way for a spell in the second, clearly agitated by the swirling winds.
A poor drop shot helped Soderling break to 4-2 in the second. And while Nadal broke right back, he needed six opportunities to do so. Then, Nadal failed to convert his first two set points as Soderling levelled the set in the tenth game. But the Swede's own poor play finally did him in. At 5-5, three consecutive errors allowed Nadal to break at love and eventually win the set.
After the record victory, Guillermo Vilas, the former clay-winning record holder, presented Nadal with a glass-encased transection of a Roland Garros clay court and the crowd watched a video tribute to Nadal's exploits at last year's event.
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Director: Liu Chi