Australian Open: Burgos no match for sensational Nadal

Melbourne, January 15: World No 1 Rafael Nadal cruised into round two of the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 battering of Victor Estrella Burgos.

Top seed Nadal was back on Rod Laver Arena for the first time since his epic five-set defeat to Roger Federer 12 months ago in a final for the ages.

Venus Williams shocked" title="Yuki out | Venus Williams shocked" />Yuki out | Venus Williams shocked

And the Spaniard, the 2009 champion in Melbourne, made a fine start in his bid to go one better this time around, wrapping up a dominant win in just over an hour and a half.

Nadal wasted no time in seizing control of Monday's clash at Melbourne Park as Burgos struggled to live with his array of forehands from beyond the baseline.

A string of cross-court winners gave Nadal – dressed in a sleeveless top and shocking pink shorts – a 4-0 lead after 12 minutes.

A sumptuous drop shot brought him the first set after 23 minutes and the Nadal juggernaut continued to steamroll its way past his Dominican opponent.

It was not just the trademark booming forehands that brought Nadal joy, his power enabling him to show exquisite touch around the net as Burgos covered every inch of Rod Laver Arena.

There was brief joy for Burgos as he managed to break Nadal late in the second set, two well-placed backhands followed by a winning volley brought huge celebrations from the world number 79.

When day one is over but you realise day two is just around the corner...#AusOpen #KiaTennis @Kia_Motors pic.twitter.com/st3jX16fLQ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2018

Nadal quickly put him back in his place, though, and, after securing a two-set advantage, set about confirming his place in round two.

He unleashed two outrageous forehand winners in the fourth game of the third set that Burgos could get nowhere near, a common theme throughout the encounter.

Burgos ensured he did not suffer a bagel in any set with a gutsy hold but it only delayed Nadal's progression by a couple of minutes.

Long may we see @RafaelNadal on Rod Laver Arena!

The World No.1 speaks after progressing through to the second round. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/F9YaRO1XZV
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2018

EDMUND STUNS ANDERSON, AMERICANS CRASH OUT

One of the biggest shocks on the opening day came when 11th seed Kevin Anderson - a finalist at the US Open last year - fell to a five-set defeat to Kyle Edmund, the sole British player in the men's singles draw.

Edmund showed remarkable defiance to see off the South African 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, twice trailing by a set and then recovering from a 2-0 deficit in the final set.

Anderson was not the only seeded player to be stunned in the first round, however, as both Jack Sock (8) and John Isner (16) crashed out on a miserable day for Americans in both the men's and women's singles.

Sock was beaten inside four sets - 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-3 by Yuichi Sugita - and Isner was also beaten in four, going down 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Aussie Matthew Ebden.

DIMITROV, TSONGA AND KYRGIOS TRIUMPH

Third seed Grigor Dimitrov built on his ATP Finals success last year, beating Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, and Tsonga joined him in the next round with a win over Kevin King.

Nick Kyrgios made light work of Rogerio Dutra Silva in a straight-sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory, while Marin Cilic (6) and Pablo Carreno Busta (10) are also through.

Elsewhere, Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) fell at the first hurdle in a topsy-turvy 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2 reverse to Yoshihito Nishioka, and Lucas Pouille (18) lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6) to Ruben Bemelmans.

Meanwhile, David Ferrer, although unseeded, will be another notable absence in the second round as Andrey Rublev was a 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2 winner to knock out the veteran.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN Nadal [1] bt Estrella Burgos 6-1 6-1 6-1

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS Nadal – 28/17 Estrella Burgos – 10/26

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS Nadal – 2/1 Estrella Burgos – 1/1

BREAK POINTS WON Nadal – 8/12 Estrella Burgos – 1/6

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE Nadal – 73 Estrella Burgos – 66

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE Nadal – 77/67 Estrella Burgos – 48/24

TOTAL POINTS Nadal – 86 Estrella Burgos – 41