Rafael Nadal started his clay court campaign with 6-4 6-1 win over Thomaz Bellucci at the Rio Open last night.

Nadal, who has won nine French Open titles, claimed the opening set thanks to three breaks of his Brazilian opponent's serve, even though the Spaniard had lost his own service game twice.

However, the second set was much more straightforward for the 28-year-old, who dropped just one game.

"The important thing is to play a tough match like this in the first round and win," Nadal said after the match.

"Beating someone in their home country, where he has a lot of support, is tough. I always have a good feeling playing on clay and I'm into the second round."

Nadal will now take on fellow countryman Pablo Carreno for a place in round three.