Rafael Nadal has overcome the challenge of Nicolas Almagro to advance through to the third round of the Barcelona Open.
The world number four, who saw his Monte Carlo Masters campaign come to a halt at the semi-final stage last weekend, eased past his opponent with a 6-3 6-1 straight-sets win.
Having held his serve throughout the opening set, Nadal was able to break Almagro in the seventh game to take the lead against his compatriot, following a short break in play due to a marriage proposal in the crowd.
A sloppy start to the second set saw Nadal lose serve, but Almagro, who beat the 12-time Grand Slam winner in this event 12 months ago, was unable to hold which allowed his opponent to hit back.
The 28-year-old took the next six games to seal things, but only after a mammoth final game which saw him save seven break points across a 21-minute period.
Daniel Lewis
