Live Commentary: French Open - Rafael Nadal vs. Daniel Brands - as it happened

Good afternoon! Reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal will be heading out to Court Philippe Chatrier shortly to open the defence of his title against Germany's Daniel Brands.

In fact, here he is, just heading out onto the court for a warm up ahead of the match. The third seed has been in fine form since returning from knee injury earlier this year, reaching eight consecutive finals, and winning six tournaments.

If Nadal is to win the title for an eighth time, he will have to overcome some tricky matches along the way. The 26-year-old is in the same half of the draw as world number one Novak Djokovic, while he could also meet Lukas Rosol in the third round, having crashed out of last year's Wimbledon following a five-set epic with the Czech player.

Let's face it, if you're reading this page, you're probably well aware of Nadal and his achievements, but Daniel Brands may be a slightly unfamiliar name. The German has only progressed past the second round at a Grand Slam tournament once, reaching round four at Wimbledon in 2010.

Brands, who is currently ranked 60th in the world, failed to qualify for last year's French Open, having lost in the first round on the four previous occasions. Despite having turned professional in 2008, Brands has never played Nadal before.

The players are currently warming up. Nadal has some strapping around his knee, but seems to be moving around very comfortably.

Right, the match is about to get underway, with Nadal serving first.

Brands makes an aggressive start to the match, beating Nadal with a forehand down the sideline. Nadal struggled a little with his serve, finding the net three times, but his quick footwork ensures that he is comfortably able to hold his serve.

Brands tries to catch Nadal out with a drop shot, but the third seed sprints into the net to send it back and take the point. The tall German puts in some big serves, forcing Nadal to stand well behind the baseline, and seals the game when the Spaniard puts a return long. It's a solid opening service game from Brands.

Just superb stuff from the seven-time French Open champion. Brands is comfortably able to return his opponents serve, but struggles to move around the court quickly enough when Nadal starts looking to the sidelines. Nadal races to 40-0, before sealing the game with a perfectly placed forehand down the left-hand side of the court.

Brands uses his powerful serve to great effect, securing the first ace of the match. After taking a 40-0 lead, Nadal spots his trying to rush in to volley and fires the ball towards the baseline, but the German seals the game on the next point, just clipping the line with a pacy forehand shot.

Once again, Nadal fails to let Brands take a single point against his serve. The spin that the reigning champion places on the ball is catching Brands out, as he struggles to get his returns in.

Brands opens the game with another ace, before sending a superb forehand winner down the line. A failed attempt at a volley allows Nadal a point before the Germany mis-hits a cross-court backhand, sending the ball well wide. However, Brands manages to take the next two points with some big hitting to keep the opening set on serve.

Brands gets his first point against the Nadal serve since the opening game following a wide forehand from the Spaniard. However, a series of poor returns allow Nadal another easy hold of serve, sealing the win when Brands puts the ball into the net. Brands may be holding his own well on his own serve, but he hasn't really caused any problems during Nadal's service games yet.

Brands, serving with new balls, opens the game by smashing a volley past his opponent, but he finds the net again during the next point. A couple of mistakes from the German allows Nadal to bring up the first break points of the match. Brands saves the first with a brilliant serve-volley move, before wrong-footing the third seed to bring up deuce. Brands has Nadal running the full width of the baseline, finding the extremes of the court to bring up advantage, before sealing the game with a powerful forehand.

BREAK! Well this was not in the script! Nadal is clearly frustrated that he let those two break points get away in the previous game, serving up the first double fault of the match. Nadal then finds the net at 30-30 to give Brands his first break point of the match, and he takes it, as Nadal serves another double fault. The German will now serve for the opening set.

Brands opens with a series of quick forehands, forcing Nadal to send his own shot long, before a cross-court effort from the Spanard goes wide. Brands then serves up another ace to give himself three set points. He wastes the first with a wild forehand which goes well long, but a superb forehand wins it on the next point, just clipping the baseline.

What an impressive start that has been by the German. Nadal has never been beaten in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament, but Brands impressive power and aggresssive style of play has paid dividends. Nadal will have to rethink his strategy for the second set, which is just about to get underway.

Nadal makes a comfortable start, as Brands puts two shots wide, but a double fault allows the world number 60 back into the game. An angled forehand gives Nadal a 40-15 advantage before a long return gifts the Spaniard the game. However, Nadal does not look settled at the moment.

Brands just seems to be growing in confidence early in the game, he sends Nadal all around the court, causing the Spaniard to lose his footing. However, at 40-15 down, Nadal makes a superb return to find the baseline, before Brands mis-hits a drop shot to bring up deuce. After forcing advantage twice, Brands finds himself facing a break point, but saves it with a superb ace. Brands forces advantage again, and this time gets the better of Nadal in a lengthy rally. What an important game that could be.

Nadal seems to have put the previous game behind him as he quickly takes a 40-0 lead, before a poor return from Brands goes well wide.

Brands start the game well but a couple of brilliant shots from Nadal sees him take a 30-15 lead. A pair of big serves from the German gets him back on course, and he seals the game with his fourth ace of the match.

Both men are playing some superb tennis. Brands had looked shaky when using his backhand in the first set, but he makes two winners with the shot to edge ahead in the game. Nadal digs deep sliding around the baseline to take a 40-30 lead, but the German is able to force deuce with yet another brilliant backhand, but Nadal ups to pace to seal two quick points and win the game. This has been a fantastically entertaining opening hour to this match.

Brands power is too much again for Nadal, as he serves up yet another ace, and take an easy hold of serve.

Nadal really seems to be finding his rhythm on serve now, he races to a 40-0 lead before a wild return from Brands hands him the game. Brands will need a good service game to keep himself in this set.

And it's a great service game from the German. Nadal has struggled with his power throughout this match so far, and it's still proving a problem.

Still neither player can get a break in this, as Nadal makes it look easy yet again. There have been few chances for Brands against the reigning champions serve in this set.

If you thought Brands would crack at some point in this second set it looks like you were wrong. The German is continuing his superb service action and sends in some lovely forehands to seal another game.

Nadal slides around behind the baseline but is able to hold his serve comforably. He'll need to break Brands in the next game if he is to avoid the tie-break.

Yet more solid serving from the German ensures that we're heading into a tie-break in the second set. Nadal tried to make some spectacular returns during the game, but struggled to find the lines.

Nadal 0-1* Brands

Nadal 0-2* Brands

Nadal *0-3 Brands

Nadal *1-3 Brands

Nadal 2-3* Brands

Nadal 3-3* Brands

Nadal *4-3 Brands

Nadal *4-4 Brands

Nadal 5-4* Brands

Nadal 6-4* Brands. It's set point for the reigning champion.

Brands made a brilliant start to the tie-break, gaining a mini break with Nadal serving the opening point, but the third seed fought back in superb fashion to win the tie-break and level the match.

Brands will serve first in the third set. Will he be able to maintain the level of tennis that he has played during the opening two sets?

BREAK! It looks like the Brands bubble may have burst. Although his serves still have plenty of power behind them, Nadal seems to be more confident making the returns, and he quickly finds himself with a break point.

Brands responds well, bringing up a break point, but Nadal saves it with a strong forehand down the line. The German gets a second chance but an impressive volley from the Spaniard keeps him in the game. Nadal forces advantage when Brands suffers a broken string, and seals the set with a fast serve.

Brands starts the game looking comfortable, but Nadal moves brilliantly around the court to force deuce. A fast serve from the German gives him advantage, and he takes the game by smashing a forehand past the reigning champion.

Brands seems to have lost all confidence against the Nadal serve, as he fails to secure a single point during his opponent's service game. Nadal meanwhile is causing all sorts of problems with a series of brilliantly placed forehands.

While Brands' strong serve is still testing Nadal, the pace has gone from his groundstrokes, allowing Nadal to take control of the game. At deuce, Nadal plays a cross-court forehand to bring up a break point, but he misses the return against Brands' serve to let him off. Another mistake from the Spaniard give Brands advantage, and he fires an ace down the centre of the court to claim the game. Nadal really let him off towards the end of that game.

Nadal survive a bit of a scare, after allowing Brands two easy points after securing a 40-0 lead. However, the third seed secures the game with a forehand which just clips the edge of the baseline.

Nadal starts the game with a superb drop shot, but it doesn't distract Brands, who seems to have regained some of the pace in his forehand strokes that helped him claim the first set. In the end it's a comfortable hold for the German.

Nadal finds himself out of position following Brands' return but somehow the world number four manages to scoop the ball up from his feet and pick out the sideline. The shot seems to rally Brands who forces a break point, but a well-placed serve from Nadal is too good for the German to return, and he manages to find another good couple of serves to hold serve. Nadal is starting to look a bit shaky, having been so strong at the start of this third set.

Brands seems to have rediscovered his form as the third set has gone as he comfortably holds serve, but has he left it too late? Nadal will now serve for the set.

Nadal takes a 2-1 lead with another strong service game. Brands had made a good start to the game, but his forehand deserted him in the final points of the set, allowing Nadal to cruise to the win. The German will need a good start to the fourth set if he is to stay in this match.

BREAK! Nadal starts well against the Brands serve with a cross-court forehand, but the world number 60 responds well, sending down a rapid ace. A double fault brings up two break points for Nadal, but Brands saves the first with a swift forehand, but gets stuck at the net during the second, allowing Nadal as easy chip past him to take the game.

Nadal gifts Brands the opening point of the game with a failed attempt at a drop shot, but is quickly back on level terms. Two forehand winners followed by a missed return from Brands are enough to give Nadal the game though.

Brands teams his big serve with a range of brilliant forehands, but he lets a 40-15 lead slip to bring up deuce, but he manages to bring up the advantage and seal the game with a perfectly placed drop shot.

Superb stuff from Nadal, his serves may not have the some amount of power behind them as Brands', but his ability to put spin on the ball causes problems for the German, and he fails to get on the scoreboard as Nadal easily holds his serve.

Nadal makes an aggressive start to the match, clearly keen to round things up, but Brands is still playing well, and pulls out some more fast forehands to take the game.

Nadal may not have secured a second break yet, but he's looking untouchable during his service games, forcing mistakes from his opponent.

Nadal and Brands share the opening four points of the game, but a mistake from Nadal gives the German the chance to seal the game, which he does with a pacy cross-court forehand.

Brands really has found it very hard to attack against Nadal's serve, and it's the case again this time around, gifting Nadal another hold by returning his forehand with a lackluster effort into the net. He'll need to win the next game to stay in the match.

Nadal has two match points.

Nadal shows off his impressive footwork to take a 30-0 lead, but Brands puts in his 10th ace of the match, but two wide strokes give Nadal the game and match just short of the three-hour mark.

What a brilliant performance that was by the German. He came out like he had nothing to lose and gave a really good account of himself, but in the end Nadal's class and experience showed through, as the third seed sealed his place in the second round.

Next up for Nadal will be either Martin Klizan or Michael Russell, who are yet to play their first-round encounter. Stick around for reports and reaction from today's matches. Thanks for joining me this afternoon, good bye!