Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 01 June 2007 /

Rafael Nadal has warned his rivals that he is improving day-by-day as he goes in search of a third consecutive French Open title.

The Spaniard reached the third round at Roland Garros with a dominant straight-sets victory over Italy's Flavio Cipolla.

The second seed took less than two hours to claim a 6-2 6-1 6-4 success over the world number 227, setting up a third round clash against fellow countryman Albert Montanes.

Nadal is a massive 1.01 favourite to beat Montanes, with his Spanish opponent currently on offer at 60 to reach the fourth round. A 3-0 victory for Nadal is the 1.23 favourite in Betfair's 'Set Betting' market.

The 20-year-old feels he is getting better as the rounds progress, saying: "I was not able to play my best tennis (against Cipolla) but it was a good warm-up.

"I'm playing better and better every day and I'll fight every day a bit more. There's only one way you can eliminate pressure and that's by playing well."

Nadal remains the favourite (1.87) to win the tournament and become only the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win three consecutive Paris titles. Roger Federer's recent return to form though is a concern for Nadal backers, with the Swiss ace on offer at 3.1 to win his first Roland Garros title.

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