Nadal shows class in Monte Carlo

After receiving a first-round bye at the Monte Carlo Masters, the Spaniard crushed the Argentinian 6-3 6-1 with a performance which was decorated by some stunning shots.

Nadal has won the last two French Open titles and the last two crowns here in the Principality. He has not lost on clay since going down to Igor Andreev in the quarter-finals of the Valencia Open in 2005.

"It was very nice for me to come back here and play the first match like this. I was feeling good, so I played a good match. I was very comfortable on court and tried to make as few mistakes as possible," said Nadal who will noext play Belgian Kristof Vielgen.

"I felt very good with the backhand, with the forehand, dropshots and good defence. I could have maybe served a little better but I am still very happy."

Also through to the next round is rising star Novak Djokovic, who beat former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 6-1 3-6 6-1.

The sixth-seeded Serbian has prospered on American hard courts so far this year, winning in Miami and reaching the final in Indian Wells, but he struggled to adapt initially to the slower conditions in Monaco.

He said: "Today's match was difficult for me because it's my first match on the clay and it's a different surface, different style of game and different movement. I need to be more patient on this surface."

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest seed to exit the tournament so far, the Russian going down 6-4 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 to Sweden's Robin Soderling in a match which lasted almost three hours.

Spaniard Tommy Robredo, seeded five, beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3 6-2 and now meets Tomas Berdych, a 6-1 6-2 winner against German Benjamin Becker. Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero thrashed Nicolas Massu 6-2 6-0 while Andreev edged out fourth seed Fernando Gonzalez 6-2 2-6 6-3.