Nadal seals record-breaking win

Nadal faltered in the second set before sealing the historic win

Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal set a new record for consecutive clay-court wins with a 6-2 7-5 6-1 triumph over Robin Soderling at the French Open.

Nadal's 54th straight victory broke the record set by Argentina's Guillermo Vilas in 1977.

The 19-year-old strolled through the first set but was a break down in the second before fighting back.

Soderling crumbled in the third set to hand defending champion Nadal a place in the second round.

Watch highlights of Nadal's record-breaking win

"It's very special to win 54 games. Now I want to keep it going," said the Spaniard.

"I thought about the record when I started to get close. It's great to have and I thanked Vilas.

"This was one of the worst days for playing on clay. The wind was swirling and blowing the clay away."

Nadal was embraced by Vilas on centre court after the win and the Argentine presented the second seed with a trophy to commemorate his record.

"If I had to lose that record, I'm pleased I was losing it to somebody like that," said Vilas.

"It's a pleasure to see him play and fighting. It's very good for tennis. He will inspire a new generation of players."

However, earlier in the day, Vilas said it was impossible to compare his run with Nadal's.

"First of all, Nadal's performance is spanning over two years, which is not the same," said the 53-year-old.

"Then, I have the feeling he added easy tournaments on his schedule just for that purpose."

Vilas' record came to an end in controversial fashion against Ilie Nastase, who was using a double-strung racquet.

Vilas was incensed after losing the match 7-5 6-1 and the racquet was later banned.