The five-time champion was not troubled on Court Philippe Chatrier, and the win kept him on course to equal Bjorn Borg's record of six titles on the Parisian clay.
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AP Photo/Lionel CironneauRafael Nadal beat Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets to advance to the French Open quarterfinals.
"I have improved since the tournament started," said Nadal, who was pushed to five sets in the first round. "I'm able to play better and I'm going to continue on this path."
Novak Djokovic also had a successful day, even though he wasn't scheduled to play. The second-seeded Serb reached the semifinals of the tournament -- where he could meet Roger Federer -- when quarterfinal opponent Fabio Fognini withdrew because of injury.
"Walkover from Fognini. Bad luck for him, hope he recovers fast. Today i get to enjoy Paris in a different way :-)" Djokovic wrote on Twitter.
Later, fourth-seeded Andy Murray is set to play Viktor Troicki of Serbia. Maria Sharapova is also scheduled to play for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Nadal won four straight titles at the French Open before losing to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.
Nadal will face Soderling again in the quarterfinals, as Soderling beat Gilles Simon of France 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Monday.
Federer won the 2009 French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, but Nadal returned to win his fifth title in 2010.
Djokovic is after his own records.
If he wins his semifinal match, he would equal John McEnroe's Open era record of 42-0 for the best start to a tennis season and clinch the No. 1 ranking. With three more victories, the second-seeded Serb will match the record of 46 straight wins set by Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
The two-time Australian Open champion has never won the title at Roland Garros, but he beat Nadal in two clay-court finals leading up to the French Open.
Need the scores and stats from today's matches at the French Open? Fognini, who injured a muscle in his left leg while beating Albert Montanes on Sunday, announced Monday that he would not be able to play Djokovic, who is 41-0 in 2011 and has won 43 straight matches overall.
Federer will have to beat No. 9 Gael Monfils to advance to the semifinals. Monfils battled through to the quarterfinals by beating David Ferrer 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 1-6, 8-6 in a match that stretched over two days and lasted more than four hours.
Monfils was leading the seventh-seeded Ferrer 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 0-2 on Sunday when their match was suspended because of darkness.
This is the first time since 2002 that two French players will be in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Marion Bartoli has also advanced.
Juan Ignacio Chela also reached the quarterfinals. The unseeded Argentine, the only non-European left in the men's draw, beat Alejandro Falla of Colombia 4-6, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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