Rafael Nadal hammers Juan Monaco at Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal has got the defence of his Madrid Open title off to a dominant start with a straight-sets win over Argentina's Juan Monaco.

The world number one, who received a bye in the first round, proved too much for his opponent as he brushed him aside with a little over an hour on the clock.

Both players exchanged service breaks early in the opening set, but Nadal broke twice more before closing it out 6-1.

The Spaniard was even more ruthless in the second as he blasted his opponent away 6-0 to secure his progress in the Spanish capital.

Nadal will now meet either Finland's Jarkko Nieminen or Dutchman Igor Sijsling for a place in the quarter-finals.