Nadal eases into second round

Rafael Nadal’s bid to regain the world number one ranking got off to a fine start with a routine 6-2 6-4 win over Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo in the first round of the China Open in Beijing.

The Spaniard will usurp Novak Djokovic as the world’s top player if he reaches the final in the Chinese capital, irrespective of the performance of Djokovic, who took 54 minutes to beat Czech Lukas Rosol 6-0 6-3.