Top seed Rafael Nadal powered into the US Open third round with his straight sets victory over Vasek Pospisil of Canada in their second round clash in New York.

The 32-year-old saw off his opponent 6-3 6-4 6-2 in two hours to continue his quest for Grand Slam no. 18.

The defending champion will next face Russian 27th seed Karen Khachanov in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

After his victory, Rafael Nadal spoke about the ‘extreme heat’ measures taken by organisers in the bid to tackle prevailing hot and humid conditions.

The Spaniard said: “To win in straight sets is always positive, especially in these conditions.”

“We’ll be able to see better tennis than what we saw in the first couple of days,” Nadal said.

“Playing under these conditions is, first thing, not healthy, and second thing, is good for nobody – not good for the fans, not good for the players. The show is a little bit worse under these conditions.” The 17-time Grand Slam champion concluded.