 Nadal beat Argentina's Guillermo Coria in last year's final |
Rafael Nadal started the defence of his Monte Carlo Masters title by beating local favourite Arnaud Clement 6-4 6-4. The world number two, making a late start to his claycourt campaign because of a foot injury, looked a bit rusty but did enough to reach round two.
Paul-Henri Mathieu saw off former world number one Marat Safin 6-0 7-5.
Mathieu, ranked 39th and playing his first event on clay this year, stunned Safin in the first set and contained his brief fightback in the second.
The Russian, making a comeback after a knee injury, reached the semi-finals on clay in Valencia last week.
In other matches, unseeded Swede Robin Soederling upset Russian fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 2-6 6-4.
Mathieu was the lone French winner in the early action after defeats for Fabrice Santoro and Nicolas Mahut.
Czech Tomas Berdych, seeded 16th, beat the veteran Santoro, ranked 47th, 6-2 6-4. Italy's Potito Starace defeated Mahut 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.
Argentine sixth seed and clay court specialist Guillermo Coria cruised past Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-1.
MMIX
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