Rafael Nadal easily defeated Andrey Kuznetsov, 6-3, 6-3, on Tuesday to reach the third round of the Madrid Open while Andy Murray advanced with a hard-fought 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 win over Radek Stepanek.
Nadal broke Kuznetsov’s serve once in the first set and twice in the second to secure the win in his opening match at the event, a clay-court tournament that he has won twice in the last three seasons.
The match lasted just 1 hour 18 minutes, during which Nadal had four aces and no double faults as he won his 11th consecutive match.