Intro:

Kei Nishikori started the defence of his Barcelona Open crown with a 6-3, 6-4 second round win over Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili on Tuesday (21st April).

Script:

With the top seeds given a bye for the first round, Kei Nishikori's first match at the Barcelona Open came in the second round.

The Japanese player is defending his crown after taking the title here last year after a straight sets win over Santiago Giraldo in the final.

And he proved too strong for his Russian opponent Teymuraz Gabashvili, Nishikori hit 22 winners as he won 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and eight minutes.

The number one seed could face last last year's runner-up Giraldo if the Colombian gets past Joao Sousa.

Nicolas Almagro also advanced to the second round, where he will face eight-time winner Rafael Nadal, after opponent Paolo Lorenzi retired ten minutes into the match with Almagro leading 3-0.

Last year, Almagro stunned Nadal in the quarter-finals, ending the Spaniard's run of 41 straight wins at the tournament.

Earlier, Russian teenager Andrey Rublev beat 2010 champion Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the first round.

The 17-year-old Rublev, who entered as a qualifier ranked 329th, broke the Spaniard three times while saving five break chances.

A famous win, that he will never forget.