Nadal, Murray advance in Madrid Masters

Nadal broke Kuznetsov’s serve once in the first set and twice in the second to secure the win in his opening match at the clay-court tournament that he has won twice in the last three seasons. 

The Spaniard had four aces and no double faults against the 39th ranked Russian to win his 11th consecutive match this year in 1 hour, 18 minutes. Nadal will next face either American Sam Querrey or Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who play their match on Wednesday. 

Nadal hasn’t lost since his opening match at the Miami Open in March. The former No. 1 is coming off consecutive titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. Another win in Madrid this week would allow Nadal to match his total number of titles from last year, and boost his confidence even further heading into the French Open in three weeks. 

Nadal last won at Roland Garros in 2014. After struggling last season, the fifth-ranked Spaniard has reached at least the semifinals in six of the eight tournaments he has played this year, with the early eliminations coming at the Australian Open and in Miami. 

“I’m happy with the way I started the claycourt season,” Nadal said. “Today, another victory, so that’s great news. I’m excited about this tournament,” Nadal added.