Rafael Nadal made an emphatic return to singles action yesterday, after being sidelined for three months, sweeping aside Richard Gasquet of France in the China Open.
The 14-times Grand Slam winner won his first round match in Beijing 6-4, 6-0, overcoming sporadic resistance in the first set before crushing his 22nd-ranked opponent in the second.
There were glimpses of vintage Nadal during the second set demolition, with the Spaniard appearing to be back to his athletic best after being sidelined since Wimbledon with a right wrist injury.
“It’s not hundred per cent, but let’s say 90 something per cent,” Nadal said.
Nadal joins top seed Novak Djokovic in the second round after the Serb defeated Guillermo Garcia- Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes, but took a while to get into his stride, trading a series of serves with his opponent early on.
Tomas Berdych eased past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-2 in his first round match. The third seed Czech is chasing points as he pushes to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in November.
He is currently eighth in the race for the London tournament and must at least remain in that position if he is to make the season finale of the top eight players.
Elsewhere in the men’s competition, Andy Murray also made it through after a tense match in which he smashed his racket as he lost a first set tie-break. The 27-year-old Scot, the sixth seed in Beijing, defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-2.
In the women’s tournament, world No1 American Serena Williams defeated Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-3, while Maria Sharapova saw off Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2.
