World number two Rafael Nadal secured an easy victory against Go Soeda to progress into the second round of the Japan Open in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The top seed was a 6-3 6-2 winner against the local-favorite after a thoroughly one-sided affair, as expected.
The Spaniard took the first set with a sublime lob to break Soeda and things were much the same during the course of the second set. Nadal eventually came through in an hour and 30 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum.
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Afterwards, Nadal revealed that the ball was heavier than usual, although that didn't stop him from serving well - he got in 85 percent of his first serves.
"I'm really happy with my serve," he said. "The ball was a bit heavy. It was difficult for my topspin."
The 25-year-old will next face Canadian Milos Raonic, who had emerged victorious against Japanese wild card Yuichi Sugita after a hard-fought encounter which ended 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (1).
The 10-time Grand Slam champion isn't taking things lightly though and was wary of the threat posed by the Canadian.
"He (Raonic) is a dangerous player for me in the second round," Nadal said. "He has one of the biggest serves on the tour."
