Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to live text commentary of Rafael Nadal's opening match in the first round in Doha. His opponent is the Slovakian Karol Beck.

Nadal, as he did last time, drops just three games in beating Karol Beck, and marches into the second round in 69 minutes. The middle of the match was punctuated by Nadal appearing to pick up an injury, but he brushed it aside and crushed his opponent's spirit with trademark forehands and chasing play.

WINNER! Beck challenges a Nadal forehand guided down the line - good challenge - and it's the difference between being 30-0 down and recovering to 15-15. Cheeky backhand drop and lob gets the better of Nadal as Beck goes for his shots. Two break points now for Beck, and two forehands from mid-court bring Nadal back to deuce. Match point duly follows, but Beck denies him after a lengthy rally. Another match point, another pulsating rally, and this time Nadal takes it.

BREAK! Oh dear - Beck wants to challenge the first point and cannot - then Nadal challenges the second and finds Hawkeye working just in time for a successful appeal. Grim luck, and Nadal then brings up three break points. Once again Beck saves the first two, but saving all three is a task too many. Nadal just a single game away from closing out this match.

An effortless hold from the Spaniard, who looks to have broken Beck's resistance. Hawkeye has temporarily gone out of commission, but Nadal is hitting crisply enough to mean neither man needs to resort to it.

Whatever happened to Nadal a few games back, it's not troubling him enough to cost him the game. He'll want to get off the court as quick as possible, and though he doesn't look especially comfortable out there, he's doing exactly what he needs to do.

BREAK! A ferocious crosscourt forehand from Nadal gets him back on level terms, and then he wins a backhand battle for a narrow lead in the game. Beck levels when Nadal fires a forehand well wide of the mark, then hits his third ace of the day for game point. The relentless Nadal keeps on thundering groundstrokes, bringing up break point then missing a winner by a whisker. The pressure continues, and Nadal earns a double-break.

No nonsense from Nadal - a second successive hold to love, and a game lasting just 99 seconds. Nadal's forehand is working well, and the serve is looking strong as well. Beck in real trouble.

BREAK! Nadal begins with a successful challenge - and it gets him on a great run, taking him to 0-40 and three break points. But Beck is not done yet - battling away to take the next two with some powerful forehands of his own. Nadal is not to be denied, though, opening his body to clatter a forehand from right-to-left past a stranded Beck.

Nadal looks determined to run off whatever it was which upset him, and strides out purposefully for the second set.

SET! Strange game - Nadal holds to love to take the first set with some ease as Beck fails to make any impression on the world number one's serve. But no celebration from Nadal as he takes the advantage, and he's called for the trainer before he's even back to his chair.

What's happened here? Nadal pulls up grimacing after trying to chase down a Beck drop shot, and he looks a little distracted as the Slovakian marches into a 40-15 lead. Nadal spanks a winner down the line, but the next point goes Beck's way as he holds.

A clean winner from Beck gets him into a 15-30 lead, but Nadal closes that half-chance with a couple of fierce shots down the line which his opponent cannot compete with.

BREAK! What a shame, after a brave fightback from Beck. It's a tame surrender, with a big forehand winner from Nadal accompanied by a couple of timid errors from the Slovakian. Nadal breaks to 15.

BREAK! Wonderful backhand pass from Beck crosscourt to take the first point, and he carries the momentum, getting just a bit of luck with a fabulously-bold dipping dropper which catches the top of the net and brings up two break-back points at 15-40. Forehand winner denies him the first - but not the second! Back on serve in this one.

Beck battling hard but looks somewhat frustrated when a call goes the way of his opponent. An error from the Slovakian hands Nadal game point, but Beck denies him it and gets a great serve right into the corner to stay in control. A double fault follows though, and Nadal sees - and misses out on - a second break point. Beck keeps the Spaniard on the backhand and finally holds his serve on his third game point.

Nadal takes the first point with a controlled backhand volley at the net. And so it continues - with Beck managing just a single point as the Spaniard moves halfway to taking the first set.

BREAK! Ominous for Beck already - Nadal wears down his Slovak opponent to claim the first two points, then picks him off with a delightful forehand for three break points. He only needs one.

Good start from Beck, slamming a crisp backhand across the court to build a 0-30 lead on the Nadal serve. The Spaniard hits back with some powerful forehands to level, but break point for Beck comes on the back of an error. It's a short-lived advantage - Nadal saves it, hits an ace for game point and Beck misses long for Nadal to hold.

Nadal will serve first as this match gets underway - that was Beck's choice after winning the coin toss.

Check out the draw for the tournament here.