Nadal makes winning start in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo, April 17 

Rafa Nadal produced a claycourt masterclass to pick apart fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 6-1, as the world No. 2 began his Monte Carlo Masters title defence in stunning fashion on Wednesday.

Playing his first match since injuring his knee at Indian Wells last month, Nadal showed no signs of rust as he raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set on Court Rainier III.

Bautista Agut did get on the board but Nadal clinched the opening set and put his opponent under further pressure with another break of serve at the start of the second.

There was no stopping Nadal who regularly moved Bautista Agut out of position, opening the court up effortlessly with powerful forehand combinations.

After saving three break points at 2-1, Nadal displayed his clinical side at the net to secure a 4-1 advantage and went on to claim a convincing win.

The 11-times Monte Carlo champion extended his winning streak to 16 matches at the tournament and will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

“It was a great start, it’s good to be back here,” said Nadal, the 17-times Grand Slam winner.  

German hotshot Alexander Zverev showed signs of a return to his explosive best in a 6-1 6-4 win over Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Last year’s French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem won 20 of his 23 first-serve points in a commanding display to beat Slovakian Martin Klizan 6-1 6-4, while Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 7-5. — Reuters