Nadal/Federer head for a showdown
 |  Nadal is favorite for the crown after five title wins on clay in 2005 |
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PARIS, France -- World No. 1 Roger Federer and Spanish favorite Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a French Open semifinal showdown with easy first round wins on Monday.
Top seed Federer, looking to become just the sixth man to win all four Grand Slams, brushed aside Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-1 6-4 6-1.
And 18-year-old Nadal, hoping to be the first man in 23 years to win the title on his debut, saw off Germany's Lars Burgsmuller 6-1 7-6 6-1.
Argentine Gaston Gaudio made a comfortable start to his title defense by beating Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5 6-0 6-1.
The 26-year-old Gaudio, seeded fifth, needed time to get going but then dominated his unheralded opponent to win in just over two hours.
"I was very nervous at first because there's so much pressure on me and the expectations are so high," said Gaudio, who beat Guillermo Coria last year in the first all-Argentine final in grand slam history.
"I didn't play very well at the beginning but then things got better and I ended up playing rather well," he added.
Federer has never got beyond the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in six previous attempts but on Monday he had far too much class for 20-year-old Sela, ranked 264 in the world and playing the first tour match of his career.
"I had been waiting impatiently for this match," said Federer who has now won 42 of his 44 matches in 2005.
"I had a lot of problems in the beginning but then I got into my stride."
The Swiss star admitted that Nadal is one of the most serious threats here to his hopes of adding the Paris crown to his four other Grand Slam titles.
Great future
"He was born playing on clay and this tournament is his best chance of winning a Grand Slam. He has a great future ahead of him."
Federer next plays either Spain's Nicolas Almagro or Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany for a place in the third round.
Nadal, playing in his first Roland Garros, is looking to emulate Swedish great Mats Wilander who clinched the title on his Roland Garros bow in 1982.
Nadal showed no signs of first day nerves against the journeyman Burgsmuller, winning in one hour 45 minutes to set up a second round clash against Belgium's Xavier Malisse.
"It's not the best match I've played in recent times... because of course I was a little nervous as I was playing here for the first time," said Nadal, who won the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters crowns in the run-up to the French Open.
"It was a great atmosphere, I am happy because it's my first French Open and there were a lot of people on court to see me. I want to play my best tennis here but it's not easy.
"I didn't play my best match today and hopefully it'll improve next time."
The muscular fourth seed, playing in his now customary three-quarter length trousers, was forced to miss the 2003 French Open because of an elbow injury and had to sit out the 2004 event due to a stress fracture in his left ankle.
He has spent the spring constantly playing down talk of being the favorite here despite clinching five clay court titles already this year, but he hammered home his credentials again on Monday notching his 18th win in a row.
Also making the second round were 14th seed and 1998 champion Carlos Moya who overcame a slow start to oust fellow Spaniard Alberto Martin 5-7 6-1 6-4 6-2 and seventh-seeded Tim Henman.
The Briton, a surprise semifinalist last year, saw off Argentine lucky loser Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-2 6-1 6-4.
But 17th seeded Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty was beaten by Serbia and Montenegro's Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-3 8-6.
