Murray, Serena, Nadal breeze in Rio storm

Rio de Janeiro :  Defending champions Andy Murray and Serena Williams, as well as 2008 winner Rafael Nadal, defied high winds and controversy over court conditions to breeze into the second round of the Olympic tennis tournament on Sunday (Aug 7).

Wimbledon champion Murray, the second seed, clinched an eighth win in eight meetings against Serbia's Viktor Troicki, 6-3, 6-2.

Murray, playing for the first time since securing his second career All England Club title, next faces Argentina's Juan Monaco, one of his closest friends on tour.

"I was a little bit nervous at the start. I haven't played on a hard court for a while and the conditions weren't easy," said 29-year-old Murray.

Nadal, playing his first match in two months, made the second round with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 win over Federico Delbonis of Argentina.

The 30-year-old Spaniard, sidelined by a left wrist injury since the French Open, set up a clash with Italian veteran Andreas Seppi who he has beaten eight times in nine meetings.

But the 14-time major winner was unhappy with the state of the video screen lighting on Court One, claiming he couldn't see the ball.

"The screen was in the middle of the arena and when my opponent hit the ball in this region, I couldn't see it," said Nadal who missed the London Games with a knee injury. "We can't play like that, it is the reality."

Williams, the 34-year-old world number one, can take her gold medal count to six if she repeats as Olympic singles and doubles champion. She had the perfect start, defeating Australia's Daria Gavrilova 6-4, 6-2.

Williams, sporting a patriotic Stars and Stripes hairband on centre court, will face either Sweden's Johanna Larsson or Alize Cornet of France.

She will be hoping it is Larsson as Frenchwoman Cornet famously defeated her three times in 2014, including at Wimbledon.