World No 2 Rafa Nadal took a little bit of time to get into his work but advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Monday with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alex Kuznetsov.
The 10-times Grand Slam winner, who is battling a niggling shoulder injury and has said his knees were still a concern, took 44 minutes to take the first set against the persistent American.
The 25-year-old left-hander ran away with the next two sets, however, dominating from the baseline and giving Kuznetsov just two break point opportunities when he was serving for the match before clinching victory in 106 minutes with his ninth ace.
Nadal will now meet Tommy Haas in the second round after the German veteran beat American qualifier Denis Kudla 7-6, 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.
