Tuesday 30 September 2014 11:52, UK
Rafael Nadal clinched victory in his first singles match since Wimbledon as he eased past Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-0 in the first round of the China Open.
The world No 2 has been ruled out since the end of June but there were no signs of rust against Gasquet, who he now owns a perfect 13-0 head-to-head record over.
Nadal, who made his return to the court in a doubles match on Monday, broke the Frenchman in the third game of the first set and completely dominated the second set in Beijing.
Elsewhere in the opening round, Novak Djokovic breezed through with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The top seed needed little more than an hour to see off the challenge of the Spaniard as he began his bid for record fifth title at the event.
Djokovic has never been beaten in the tournament, his latest success improving his record in it to a formidable 20-0. The world No 1 will next face Vasek Pospisil, who defeated Lukas Rosol 6-4 6-3 on Monday.
Third seed Tomas Berdych also made it through with ease as he recorded a 6-1 6-2 win over Feliciano Lopez. Berdych dropped just 10 points on serve and converted four of his 14 break points in the 63-minute match.
John Isner came through 6-1 6-3 against Santiago Giraldo while qualifier Peter Gojowczyk defeated Ivo Karlovic 6-4 2-6 7-5.
