Good morning everyone and welcome to live text commentary from Tokyo, where top seed Rafa Nadal is in second round action against Milos Raonic.

NADAL 7-5 6-4 MATCH! No dramas for Rafa. He earns three match points when Raonic puts a weak forehand into the net. The winning moment has to wait a minute, as Nadal puts a backhand long, but victory comes soon enough when Raonic also fires wide on the next point. Victory sealed in one hour, 24 minutes and that was a patient victory for Nadal. He's in the quarter-finals.

NADAL 7-5 5-3 Boom. Raonic brings out the big serves in this one. He finds his range with his first serves and in the blink of eye goes 40-0 up. The game is won with an accurate forehand pass. Nadal to serve for the match.

NADAL 7-5 5-2 There's some life in Raonic yet. He goes 30-15 up with a fine backhand pass and by coming out on top after a lengthy rally. But then the errors creep in again, a volley long, a forehand into the net, and Nadal just keeps applying the pressure from the other side of the net. The break is consolidated, Nadal needs just one more for victory.

NADAL 7-5 4-2 There's the break. Raonic is struggling to get his first serves in at the moment, which is not helping his cause. Unforced errors are also costing him and when another shot into the net gives Nadal a sniff at 30-15, the Spaniard gets two break points with a peach of a backhand down the line. The break is sealed when the ball fires off the top of Raonic's racquet and out.

NADAL 7-5 3-2 No worries for Nadal. He almost takes Raonic's head off with an overhead smash, while a beautiful inside-out forehand puts him 40-0 up. Nadal wraps up the game with a simple serve and volley and he regains the second set lead.

NADAL 7-5 2-2 Raonic is sloppy at the start of the game, going 0-30 down with a shot drilled into the net. However, with the help of some booming serves, he finds a way back and wins the game when Nadal fails to return a smash.

NADAL 7-5 2-1 Nadal kicks off with an ace but Raonic makes it 15-15 with a powerful volley taken on the volley. Nadal goes into a 40-15 lead but fires a forehand into the net and then produces a double fault to give Raonic a chance. However, two errors from Raonic - firing into the net and then pushing long when Nadal is scrambling - hands the game to the world number two.

NADAL 7-5 1-1 No mucking around there for Raonic, he holds serve to love with a no-nonsense service game. That was a strong response.

NADAL 7-5 1-0 Nadal comes out in the second set all guns blazing. Raonic does produce a delicious drop backhand that leaves Nadal flat footed but that is his only moment of joy as the Spaniard easily holds serve.

NADAL 7-5 - SET! Just as Nadal gets another tiny chink of light, Raonic storms back with service winners to get back to 30-30 in a trice. But Raonic serves up an inopportune double fault at just the wrong time to offer up the first break point of the set, and Nadal's class tells as he pounces.

NADAL 6-5 - Nadal keeps applying the pressure - all about whether Raonic can hold his nerve now. In a set where there has not been a break point, a tie-break seems inevitable...

NADAL 5-5 - Raonic slaps a crosscourt forehand into the net to give Nadal the ideal start. Raonic responds with a serve and volley, and comes in behind his serve again to move 30-15 ahead. Vicious serve down the line brings up two game points, and an ace crosscourt (his 7th already) levels things up once more.

NADAL 5-4 - Raonic bucks a developing trend by winning a lengthy rally with a crisp forehand down the line - normally the longer the points go, the more certain Nadal is to win. But Raonic's success comes when already 40-0 down, and it's his only joy of the game. Nadal clinically closes, and the Canadian will serve to stay in the set.

NADAL 4-4 - Just as we're getting towards the business end of the set, Raonic just tenses up a touch. A couple of second serves allows Nadal to get into the rallies, and he takes full advantage to reach 15-30. Chance to earn break points too, but Raonic levels as Nadal puts one uncharacteristically into the net with his opponent on the run. It galvanises Raonic, who closes out the game.

NADAL 4-3 - The world number two doesn't have Raonic's speed on his serve, but he's hitting the lines with ease. Another hold to love. Nadal's dropped just three points on serve thus far, Raonic only two.

NADAL 3-3 - The Spaniard is on the board - a first point of the match on the Raonic serve as the Canadian slams a forehand long. He's already 40-0 down, mind, but he gives himself hope by winning the next with some aggressive shots to catch Raonic out at the net. It doesn't last, though - normal service is resumed as Raonic biffs a service winner to hold.

NADAL 3-2 - Very one-sided on serve so far. Nadal closes this game out to love with an ace, but when he is drawn into the longer points as well, the Spaniard's fiendish sliced backhand is too much for Raonic to cope with. Battle-lines have been drawn in this contest.

NADAL 2-2 - Nadal has a bit of a headache - he's standing so far back to reach the Canadian's serve, and that's opening up space for Raonic to put away the returns. On top of that, the serve is firing superbly. Two more aces, no points dropped in a very short service hold.

NADAL 2-1 - Raonic getting plenty behind his forehand, but Nadal's movement and placement so good that it has little effect. An uncharacteristic overhit from the Spaniard drags Raonic back to 30-15, but Nadal keeps his nose in front and closes the game out after lettng the Canadian make unforced errors.

NADAL 1-1 - Venemous ace to the far side serves notice of Raonic's power. Looks as if he's repeated from the other side, but it's a whisker out. No matter - he simply thunders the next down the middle for an ace. Unreturnable serve later, and Raonic has laid down an impressive early marker.