Former world number one Rafael Nadal avenged his quarter-final defeat to Nicolas Almagro last year, but defeating the Spaniard to book his spot in the third round of the Barcelona Open.
Nadal, who got into the second round unchallenged after receiving a bye in the first round, clinched an easy 6-3, 6-1 win to get his tournament off to a solid start.
The second seed bounced back from his recent defeat to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Open, to now set up a third round clash against 13th seed Fabio Fognini. The Italian edged over Russian qualifiers Andrey Rublev 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
“The ups and downs that I had to start his season, I didn’t have here. I played at a good rhythm throughout, and that is promising,” Nadal was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.
“I only need a little more velocity on my drive, but for the first day I have to be satisfied,” he added.
Photo Credits: www.queenoftickets.com
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