Nadal targets Villas record in Rome

ROME, May 7 (Reuters) A little slice of tennis history beckons next week for Rafael Nadal, who can equal Guillermo Villas's record of 53 consecutive wins on clay by defending his title at the Rome Masters.

The 19-year-old Spaniard, who last lost on clay to Igor Andreev in the quarter-finals of the Valencia event last April, closed to within six wins of the record, set in 1977, by clinching the ATP title in Barcelona last Sunday.

But he insists that winning, not records, will be his focus in the Italian capital.

''The record is fine, but what interests me the most is winning the tournament again,'' he said.

Nadal's extraordinary run of success over the last 12 months has established him as the only serious threat to Roger Federer's dominance of the men's game.

On clay he has appeared almost superhuman, winning eight tournaments on the trot.

Last year's final in Rome offered perhaps the hardest-fought victory of all -- a five-hour, five-set epic against Guillermo Coria that ended in fading light with Nadal coming back from 3-0 down in the decider to take the match on a tie-break.

This year's event promises to be no less of a test.

The draw includes all of the world's top 10 players, and Nadal has been handed a tough first-round match -- a showdown against former world number one Carlos Moya, who won in Rome in 2004.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE Nadal will be favourite to progress against his compatriot, but will not relish the prospect of playing Moya, who beat him 2-6 6-1 6-1 in their last meeting in Miami in March.

As usual, the man tipped to end Nadal's winning streak will be Roger Federer.

Even the world number one, however, will struggle to quell the indefatigable Spaniard on his favourite surface.

Though he lags in the world rankings, Nadal has built up a psychological advantage over the Swiss, who he has beaten in four of their five head-to-heads, including the last three -- the most recent a four-set win in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

Federer has rarely produced his best in the Italian capital, his most notable result being a straight-sets defeat in the 2003 final against Spanish journeyman Felix Mantilla.

Last year he missed the tournament due to a foot injury.

This time he starts his challenge against Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela, who has lost their previous three meetings but is a claycourt specialist.

While most neutrals will be hoping for a Federer-Nadal final, there are several players who could upset the seedings.

Fourth seed David Nalbandian has a good record in Rome, including a runner-up finish in 2004 and plays a qualifier in the opening round.

Coria, seeded ninth, also starts his bid against a qualifier, but is set to meet Marat Safin in the second round.

REUTERS PDS KN1615