Rafael Nadal has continued the defence of his French Open title by defeating Denis Istomin 6-2 6-3 6-0 in Paris.

The Spaniard found his stride early in the game by snatching the first break of serve and displaying a number of impressive drop volleys at the net, while Istomin struggled to find any answers in the opening set.

It was an easy opening set-win for the 25-year-old, who continued in the same vein in the second set grabbing another vital break and taking the advantage.

While Istomin did manage to push the former world number one in a handful of impressive rallies, Nadal managed to weather a slight slump and clinch the second set comfortably.

The third and final set became a formality for Nadal as Istomin has nothing left to throw at the net and failed to get one game on the board.