Spania­rd beats German­y's Zverev 6-3, 6-3, faces Austra­lia’s Kyrgio­s nextACAPULCO: Rafael Nadal powered into the second round at the Mexican Open Tuesday, breezing past Germany’s Mischa Zverev in straight sets to advance to a meeting with Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. World number two Nadal, playing in his first event since being thrashed by Novak Djokovic in last month’s Australian Open final, was always in control during a 6-3, 6-3 victory. “It’s a big challenge for me and I hope to be ready for it.”Elsewhere Tuesday, Zverev’s younger brother Alex had little difficulty in advancing to the second round, defeating Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3. Second seed Zverev’s service game overwhelmed Popyrin, with the German hammering down 13 aces en route to victory. Australia’s Kyrgios meanwhile was made to work hard for victory in his win over Italy’s Andreas Seppi, battling into the second round with a 6-3, 7-5 win.

Source: The Express Tribune February 27, 2019 11:51 UTC