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Rafael Nadal scored a 6-2, 6-1 win over Lucas Pouille at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Rafa needed 69 minutes to close the match, converted four of his seven break points and won 75 per cent of his service points.
Pouille had beaten Dominic Thiem in the first round.
"Today, I played solidly," said Nadal. "Today, I played with no mistakes in a row. I played aggressively when I had to play aggressive. I hit some good passing shots than [in] the past couple of months. [It is] a thing that I haven't been doing very well.
"I will go back to the hotel with [a] fantastic feeling, because I played probably the best match of the year for me... I played with the right mentality [and] the right concentration."
The Spaniard has a 51-3 record at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament, winning eight successive titles from 2005-12.
Nadal will next face No. 15 seed John Isner, who beat Viktor Troicki in a 7-6(4), 7-6(5).
Nadal admitted, "He is a very dangerous player on any surface, because his serve works well on clay, hard, indoor, everywhere."
Photo Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe
