French Open 2022: Nadal fans elated as 'King of Clay' cruises into second round

13-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, powered to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Australian Jordan Thompson in the first round of the clay-court major at Roland Garros, marking his 299th Grand Slam win.

The Spanish ace will now hope to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the 300-plus club when he meets Corentin Moutet in the second round. The Frenchman earlier defeated 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who spoke of a chronic foot injury hampering his movement after losing to Denis Shapovalov in Rome last week, looked comfortable in the two-hour, two-minute win on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Thompson reached the third round at Roland Garros in 2019 but was unable to counter Nadal's brutal groundstrokes in the pair's second tour-level meeting. 

Although he battled well, the Australian was unable to disrupt the Spaniard's flow in the baseline exchanges frequently enough to build any sustained pressure.

The 35-year-old broke Thompson's serve seven times in the clash as Nadal found a good rhythm on his trademark forehands. 

Also read: French Open 2022: Reaching my dream, says Alcaraz after first-round win in Paris

This win takes Nadal to a 2-0 ATP Head2Head series lead over the Australian, having beaten him at the Rolex Paris Masters in 2020.

Nadal fans took to Twitter to express their joy over seeing the Spaniard kick off his 14th French Open crown bid with a cruising victory. Here's a look at some of the reactions: