Nadal improves to 49-1 at French Open

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PARIS, June 4 (UPI) -- Two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal won 17 consecutive games Monday in cruising through a fourth-round victory at the French Open.

Nadal, the world's No. 2-ranked player and who turned 26 Sunday, improved to 49-1 lifetime at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 blasting of 13th-seeded Juan Monaco. Nadal has won the French Open a record-tying six times, including in 2010 and 2011.

Monaco held serve in taking a 2-1 lead but Nadal ran away after that, collecting eighth service breaks and losing just 19 points over 10 service games. He had 13 unforced errors in winning 83 points to Monaco's 43. Nadal won more than 70 percent of the points over the second and third sets.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray got by 17th-seeded Richard Gasquet 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in Monday's final men's match. Murray had 59 winners and took 70 percent of the points on serve.

Murray, who has lost two sets in four matches, is the only player to have lost a set at this year's French Open in this half of the draw. No. 12-seeded Nicholas Almagro stopped eighth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in earning a quarterfinal spot opposite Nadal. Also, sixth-seeded David Ferrer raced past No. 20 Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 in his fourth-round match Tuesday.

Also Monday, Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga finished off a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 decision over 18th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro was a 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 winner over seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych in matches that began Sunday but were suspended because of darkness.

Tsonga next goes against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic while del Potro faces third-seeded Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.