Stanislas Wawrinka battles to win over Joao Sousa in Madrid

Stanislas Wawrinka has earned a spot in the third round of the Madrid Open after beating Joao Sousa 7-6(1) 7-5.

It was Sousa who found his rhythm quickly in the Spanish capital, and he was rewarded for attacking immediately as he broke the former Australian Open champion in the opening game.

Sousa survived a nervy service game midway through the first set to save three break points, but his hard work was undone when Wawrinka secured a break in the 10th game.

A superb display in the tie-break from Wawrinka changed the momentum of the match as he stormed to a 7-1 success to strike a blow to his rival's hopes.

Sousa responded well to match the eighth seed for long spells of the second set, and the first 10 games passed without a break point arriving for either player.

However, Wawrinka made the crucial breakthrough to break to 6-5, and he held his nerve to complete the win in the next game.