Rafael Nadal overcame a shaky start - and later hitting himself in the face with his own racquet - to beat Fabio Fognini in the US Open second round.

The Spaniard lost the first set and was 4-2 down in the second before recovering to secure a 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 win over the Italian.

Nadal also drew blood after hitting himself in the nose with his racquet during the closing stages of the match.

He was hurt when his racquet bounced back off the court as he stretched for a ball and the 36-year-old needed a medical timeout after the incident.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner did not let the issue impact him as he closed out the match comfortably - a contrast to the way he started against Fognini, who defeated Nadal from two sets down at the US Open in 2015.

Nadal made 27 unforced errors in the first two sets and dropped serve five times, including four in a row, before improving and setting up a third-round tie against 36-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Gasquet, a 2013 semi-finalist in New York, knocked out Serb 32nd seed Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-4.