Tennis/ French Open: A short list of names has emerged of those, who on their day, might find a stress point in the game of the world number one Roger Federer.

In a sense that's just creating hope where very often none exists. Even with a dominant force such as Federer, who yesterday won his first-round match at Roland Garros in straight sets, a credible threat always needs to be added to the narrative.

On court one, the young 18-year-old Spaniard Raphael Nadal showed why his name is at the top of the list. Day-glo lime green top, three-quarter length white pants, a white bandana and impressive left arm combined to make him as much a main character in the Pirates of Pensance as a legitimate force that Federer should respect.

Playing German Lars Burgsmuller under cloud, sunshine, then rain, Nadal, having missed the 2003 and 2004 championships through injury, needed no acts of piracy to take his first game on court one with a solid three-set win.

Burgsmuller's resistance to the swash-buckling left-hander came in the second set. Trying to upset the Spaniard's back-court game and thundering forehand, Burgsmuller challenged Nadal at the net and in the second set took the match to a tie-break.

When it perished there the teenager ran away with the third set for a 6-1, 7-6, 6-1 win.

Swept-back black hair and a pair of arms that would not be out of place on a heavyweight boxer, the teen idol arrived at the tournament with a 17-match winning streak and five titles. While Federer has six titles, all of Nadal's are on clay and not since Thomas Muster in 1996 has any player had such consistent clay success. But even the fourth seed knows improvement is required to last the week.

"I need a little bit more confidence in shots. I think the ball is a little bit strange. It's moving a little," he said. "I was a little bit more nervous than usual. I felt maybe a little insecure."

Federer beat Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela pretty effectively 6-1, 6-4, 6-0.

Out on court seven, last year's semi-finalist Tim Henman advanced with some ease. The seventh seed beat Argentina's Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

With little expectations last year Henman surprised many in reaching deep into the second week. But yesterday's opponent was tailor-made to fall. Henman's original opponent Potito Starace withdrew because of an ankle injury and in stepped the 23-year-old to make his Grand Slam tournament debut.