Rafa Nadal chipped away at history when he took his place in the second round of the French Open with his 22nd consecutive winning match at Roland Garros.

The defending champion was given a solid workout by Thomaz Bellucci, a 20-year-old Brazilian qualifier making his Grand Slam debut, before triumphing 7-5 6-3 6-1 in two hours and 34 minutes.

"It's always a bit worrying going through the first round. The conditions were very bad today. The winds were terrible", he said. "I was practising very well but in the last two days I practised only 20 minutes. It is difficult to go to the court and have a good rhythm".

He added: "I also played against a very good opponent. He is a player with great potential to be a great player. But the most important thing is I won."

 Bellucci broke Rafa's first serve of the day - the match was postponed at 1-1 in the first set due to rain last night - was to his credit. When he broke it again in the ninth game he announced his credentials as more than a half-decent competitor on the surface.

Unfortunately his own serve betrayed him just when he needed it, perhaps nerves getting the better of him as he double-faulted to hand Rafa the first set.

The champion needs no such encouragement but for large parts of the second set Bellucci held his own until Nadal suddenly clicked into that efficient groove which simply overpowers opponents.

In the third set, three breaks of serve by Rafa told their own story.

Rafa, who now plays another left-hander, French qualifier Nicolas Devilder, in the second round, said: "He is a lefty too so it is going to be tough. I just hope to play better. I'm confident if I'm playing well I have a chance."