Nadal looked to be at his fearsome best from the start, breaking Norrie to take a 3-1 lead and won the next 3 games to claim the first set. The 11-time champion led 3-1 in the 2nd set as well, but the Brit fought back to level the score at 4-all before the Spaniard shut down any hopes for a comeback, with an emphatic break on his way to a 6-4 win.
Nadal will next face 6th seeded Pablo Carreno Busta.