PARIS - Serbia's top-seeded Novak Djokovic overcame a brief bout of nerves in the second set before beating 14-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-4 at the Paris Olympics on Monday and moving into the third round.
His counterpart in the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland had an even easier morning, crushing France's Diane Parry 6-1 6-1 to book her own third round spot.
While Djokovic remains in the hunt for his elusive Olympic gold, Spain's Nadal now has only the doubles competition left to add to his two Olympic gold medals, partnering Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic led 6-1 4-0 before a Nadal comeback attempt that saw him briefly level 4-4.
"I was just very proud to be part of this match and ... I wanted to do my job on the court and really execute the game plan as much as I possibly can," Djokovic said.
"So almost a perfect match, the 6-1 4-0. Then things got complicated, I started to hesitate a little bit on my shot he stepped in, the crowd got involved and for all, it was really anybody's set, anybody's game. Just very glad to overcome this incredible challenge."
Alcaraz was also in action in the singles but was never seriously pressured in his 6-1 7-6 victory over Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor. Eighth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas punched his ticket for the next round, with the Greek finding even less resistance in his 6-1 6-2 victory over Britain's Daniel Evans.
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