Nadal cans Colombian on Tokyo debut

Tokyo: World number one Rafa Nadal beat Colombia`s Santiago Giraldo 6-4 6-4 to reach the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday.

The Spaniard, who has won three of this year`s four grand slam tournaments, completed victory in one hour and 50 minutes under a pink sunset on his debut in Tokyo.Nadal, beaten by countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semi-finals of the Thailand Open at the weekend, produced some brutal hitting when he needed it most. Nadal`s relentless pressure earned him a break in the fifth game of the first set when the scrambling Giraldo dumped a backhand into the net. Dressed in a lime green shirt, Nadal broke at the same stage of the second set, sending Giraldo scampering wide before moving in for the kill and smashing a mid-court ball into the corner.Nadal, who has won six titles this year and boasts a tour-best 62-8 match record, closed out with a swinging serve out wide to set up a meeting with Canadian qualifier Milos Raonic. Bureau Report