Classy Nadal stays on track

Nadal: Ruthless display

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Rafael Nadal secured his 25th consecutive win at the French Open after clinically dispatching Fernando Verdasco 6-1 6-0 6-2 in Paris.

Nadal was always in control of the all-Spanish fourth round encounter, posting a straight-sets triumph that keeps his quest to equal Bjorn Borg's record of four consecutive Roland Garros titles well on track.

Verdasco, who defeated number 15 seed Mikhail Youzhny in the last round, simply had no answer to the class of his compatriot and meekly succumbed in the opening two sets.

Nadal made short work of wrapping up the first, breaking Verdasco's first service game of the match and looking controlled and untroubled thereafter.

Remorseless

A further break followed to confirm the 21-year-old's dominance over his fellow left-hander, who has now failed to beat the reigning champion in six career meetings.

A 50-minute rain delay with the score at 6-1 1-0 disrupted proceedings, but when the players returned Nadal secured a quick break of serve to maintain the ruthless trend.

Verdasco showed a flash of brilliance with a delightful lob to save another break point in the fifth, but the 22nd seed's moments of cheer were few and far between, and just a few points later he did concede the break when he hit a straightforward backhand long.

Nadal was forced to save a break point at 5-0 but some typically bullish groundstrokes swung the set back in his favour and he claimed the second to love.

Injury setback

Verdasco received treatment for a leg injury at the end of the second set and was visibly labouring as the third began.

The 24-year-old hobbled along bravely, playing a couple of supreme winners and claiming a break of serve for 1-1 as he gradually began to shake off his injury.

Nadal immediately hit back, however, and broke in the next game before holding serve to go 3-1 ahead.

A further break of the Verdasco service followed only for Nadal to drop his serve for the second time in the set in the sixth game to give his opponent hope at 4-2.

But that was as good as it got for Verdasco, and Nadal broke again in the next game before holding out for a place in the last eight, where he will play another Spaniard in 19th seed Nicolas Almagro - Andy Murray's conqueror.