Rafa Nadal got his 2008 Wimbledon campaign off to a confident start on Tuesday with a 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7/0) win over German qualifier Andreas Beck.

The second seed, fresh from his fourth successive French Open title and first grass-court trophy at Queen's, is also bidding to be the first Roland Garros-Wimbledon back-to-back winner since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

fter flying through the first two sets with a break in each, the 22-year-old Beck at least made a match of it in the third where the Spaniard was taken to a tiebreak.

But the world number two's greater experience in the breakers told and he went to six match points against his fellow left-hander and clinched the tie when his opponent went long and wild with a forehand.

Rafa will now face Latvia's Ernests Gulbis for a place in the last 32.

"He was another leftie and his second serve was difficult to read. He served to the body and that was hard for me," said Nadal.

"But in the tiebreak I hit some good forehands.

"It was a strange match. There weren't many points from the baseline and I play mostly from the baseline."

Youtube Video: From Wimbledon Live