Rafael Nadal showed no signs of a recent knee injury as he eased into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Roberto Bautista Agut.
The Spaniard next plays Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6, 6-4.
Elsewhere, fifth-seed Kei Nishikori suffered a 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Italy's Fabio Fognini advanced to the next round when France's Gilles Simon withdrew with a back injury.
No. 16 David Goffin of Belgium was the only other seeded player to fall, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.
Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are some of the other players who’ve advanced to the next round.
Defending champions India continued their march towards the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a 93-run win over Namibia in a group A contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash on Thursday.
The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will usher in the start of a new era for one of the Middle East’s most iconic sporting events with plans revealed for an extensive two-phase redevelopment that will transform the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and surrounding Aviation Club Tennis Complex.
Sri Lanka batsmen Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka cracked half-centuries as the 2014 champions continued to build momentum in the Twenty20 World Cup with a 105-run win over Oman in Pallekele on Thursday.