ATP: Nadal, Djokovic, Hewitt reach third round at French Open

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, rising Serbian star Novak Djokovic and former world No. 1 Aussie Lleyton Hewitt were a trio of second-round winners Thursday at the French Open.

The second-seeded Nadal improved to 83-1 in his last 84 clay-court matches with an easy 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla on Day 5 of this fortnight. Nadal moved on in 1 hour, 53 minutes despite striking only nine winners against 33 unforced errors. He did, however, break his overmatched opponent's serve on seven occasions.

Nadal is riding a 16-match winning streak at Roland Garros, which includes a victory over world No. 1 superstar Roger Federer in last year's finale.

The sixth-seeded Djokovic, a quarterfinalist last year at Roland Garros, defeated 306th-ranked French qualifier Laurent Recouderc, the lowest-ranked player left in the draw, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. The surging Serbian captured the Masters Series event in Miami earlier this season.