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Rafael Nadal of Spain comes in to the net against John Isner of the United States in their 2nd Round Singles match on day three of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia at Foro Italico in Rome on May 11, 2022. Paolo Bruno/Getty Images
ROME—Once is enough when it comes to beating Rafael Nadal on a clay court.
Throughout his career, Nadal has never lost consecutive matches on his favorite surface and the Spaniard extended that perfect record on Wednesday by beating John Isner 6–3, 6–1 to reach the third round of the Italian Open.