World No. 1 Rafael Nadal became the 11th player in the Open Era to record 300 tour-level clay-court wins on Thursday as he defeated Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
The 27-year-old Nadal won his first clay-court match 12 years ago in Mallorca against Ramon Delgado. His victories on clay have seen him capture 43 tour-level titles, including eight Roland Garros crowns.
In his first meeting for five years against Seppi, Nadal improved to a 5-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the Italian as he claimed victory in 74 minutes. The Mallorcan converted all five of his break points and won 82 per cent of his first serve points. Seppi converted his sixth break point in the seventh game to stage a short-lived fightback in the second set, but Nadal won the final two games.
‘I think on Thursday I played a little bit better than on Wednesday,’ assessed Nadal. ‘For a long time I was playing at a good level, I think, changing directions very well and playing with the right intensity. At 4-1 in the second set I stopped a little bit with my legs. Seppi is a player that takes the ball early. If you are not playing from inside, you are in big trouble. I lost a little intensity, made a few mistakes. I was lucky to have the break back again.’
Nadal is bidding to win his ninth title at this ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 tournament. He won eight successive trophies between 2005-12 before being dethroned by Novak Djokovic in the final last year. The Mallorcan won five of the coveted Masters 1000 trophies last year, taking his Open-Era record tally to 26.