Rafael Nadal eases into Rome Masters third round

Defending champion Rafael Nadal has eased into the third round of the Rome Masters with a comfortable straight-sets win over Italy's Fabio Fognini.

The Spaniard was utterly dominant during the opening set and broke three times before taking it 6-1 in 25 minutes.

Fognini put up more resistance in the second, but Nadal managed to overcome the world number 25 6-3 with just over an hour on the clock.

Nadal, who holds a record six titles at the tournament, will now face Latvian Ernests Gulbis for a place in the quarter-finals.