Rafael Nadal battles through first round of China Open

World number eight Rafael Nadal has secured a place in the second round of the China Open, but he needed to produce a battling display to take it 6-4 6-4 over Di Wu.

The Spaniard began strongly with a break of serve, but his Chinese opponent broke back instantly before holding to level 3-3.

Di attempted to cause an upset in the first set, but Nadal was able to come through by snatching serve in the seventh game before taking the lead in Beijing.

Only one game in the second set was won on serve, and Nadal looked to be in trouble at the start as he went 3-1 down.

However, the 14-time Grand Slam champion managed to break twice from 4-2 down to take the set and grab a place in the next phase of the tournament.