MADRID — Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Madrid Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday.
Nadal lost only four points on his serve in the first set and broke Auger-Aliassime three times in the second to close out the match at the “Magic Box.”
The second-ranked Spaniard is trying to rebound from consecutive eliminations in the semifinals of both Monte Carlo and Barcelona, which marked his worst start to the clay-court season in four years.
A five-time champion in Madrid, Nadal will next face American Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
The second-seeded Nadal had his practice time reduced ahead of the tournament in Madrid because of a stomach virus.
The 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime is having a breakthrough season on tour, moving to 30th in the rankings after reaching the final in Rio and the semifinals in Miami.
Earlier, Stan Wawrinka defeated Guido Pella 6-3, 6-4, while Kei Nishikori got past Hugo Dellien 7-5, 7-5.