AP
 
Paris, May 30: King of clay Rafael Nadal passed Guillermo Vilas and began his pursuit of a second successive French Open trophy.  

Nadal earned his 54th consecutive win on clay Monday, breaking the Open Era record he shared with Vilas by beating Robin Soderling 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in the first round at Roland Garros.

With Vilas sitting in the second row, the No. 2-seeded Nadal overcame a 4-2 deficit in the 68-minute second set, then pulled away. After the match, Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy - a cutaway sample showing the multiple layers of a clay court.

Gusty wind kicked up clouds of clay and light rain occasionally fell on a chilly afternoon, contributing to plenty of sloppy play. But for the second day in a row, there were no major upsets.

No. 8-seeded James Blake showed the flair that has helped him crack the top 10 this year, beating Paradorn Srichaphan 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Five-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, playing only her 10th match of the year, beat Sybille Bammer 6-4, 6-3.

Nadal, who won the title in his French Open debut last year, improved to 17-0 on clay this year. His last defeat on the surface came on April 7, 2005, against Igor Andreev.

During the streak, 39 of his victories have come in straight sets.

Blake matched his best showing at Roland Garros, and all he had to do was win a single match. He lost in the second round in his three previous tournament appearances.

Blake is 3-4 this year on clay, a surface that has long vexed Americans, but he has won two hard-court titles in 2006 and is seeded eighth.

''I'm hoping I keep moving forward and keep progressing,'' he said. ''I feel like I'm getting better, especially on clay. It's fun being where I am right now.''