Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal beats Aljaz Bedene to reach third round

Rafael Nadal made his return from injury at the start of April in Spain's Davis Cup tie against Germany

World number one Rafael Nadal raced past Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco.

Defending champion Nadal beat Bedene, ranked 58th in the world, 6-1 6-3 in 77 minutes.

Ex-world number one Novak Djokovic beat Croatia's Borna Coric but needed 10 match points before closing out a 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 win over the world number 39.

"After two years finally I can play without pain," said Djokovic.

"Under the circumstances and considering I haven't played too many official matches, I thought I played well."

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Spaniard Nadal is continuing his return from a hip problem that forced him to retire from his Australian Open match against Marin Cilic in January.

He won 75% of points on his first serve and converted four of his eight break points as he raced past Bedene.

He will face Russia's world number 38 Karen Khachanov in the next round while Djokovic, who is seeded ninth in Monaco, will face Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem.

Nadal, a 10-time champion in Monaco, needs to win the tournament to stay top of the world rankings, or he will be replaced by Roger Federer.

Japan's Kei Nishikori, also continuing his return from a lengthy lay-off with a wrist injury, beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-2.

He will now face Italy's Andreas Seppi, who beat British number one Kyle Edmund in the first round.