Rafael Nadal kicks off China Open with thumping win

Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal kicked off his campaign at the China Open with a dominant straight-sets victory over Italy's Paolo Lorenzi in the men's singles event here on Tuesday.

Nadal produced a rich vein of form to register a crushing 6-1, 6-1 win over his 35th-ranked Italian opponent in the opening round contest that lasted for an hour.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion will next lock horns with either Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Adrian Mannarino of France for a place in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, fifth-seeded David Ferrer also progressed through to the pre-quarters of the tournament after registering a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Argentina's Pablo Cuevas.