PARIS -- King of clay Rafael Nadal passed Guillermo Vilas and began his pursuit of a second successive French Open trophy.

Nadal earned his 54th consecutive win on clay Monday, breaking the Open era record he shared with Vilas by beating Robin Soderling 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in the first round at Roland Garros.

"It's special," Nadal said. "Fifty-four victories, it's very, very difficult. It's a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches."

With Vilas waching, the No. 2-seeded Nadal overcame a 4-2 deficit in the 68-minute second set, then pulled away. After the match, Vilas presented Nadal with a trophy -- a cutaway sample showing the multiple layers of a clay court.

"If I had to lose that record, I'm pleased I was losing it to somebody like that," Vilas said. "It's a pleasure to see him play and fighting. It's very good for tennis. He will inspire a new generation of players."