Second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga crushed close friend Gael Monfils with a 6-3 7-6 victory in a first-round French rendezvous at the Japan Open on Monday.

Tsonga and Monfils live close to each other in Switzerland and often socialise together, but the French connection counted for little once they stepped on court as Tsonga overpowered his compatriot with a brutal display of hitting.

The world No.8, still feeling his way back from a knee injury, bulldozed his way to a 3-0 lead before taking the first set with a vicious serve which was too hot for Monfils to handle.

“It’s always difficult to play a friend,” Tsonga told reporters. “I’ve known Gael such a long time.

“We hang out, we play video games, go out for dinner. So it wasn’t fun. But on court you give 100 per cent out of respect for your friend.”

Monfils, brightening up centre court with his brilliant orange attire, began badly off-key but made more of a fist of the second set, forcing a tiebreak.

However, Tsonga, the 2009 Japan Open champion, simply had too much firepower and a fourth win in five meetings was never in serious doubt.

In other matches, sixth-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro beat qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-6 7-6 while Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov completed a bad day for Germany with a 6-3 6-1 thrashing of Daniel Brands.

Local hero Kei Nishikori begins the defence of his Tokyo title against Austria’s Jurgen Melzer on Tuesday.

World No.7 Juan Martin del Potro heads the Tokyo field in the absence of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, who pulled out to undergo minor back surgery.

The giant Argentine, the US Open winner in 2009, faces Cyprus’s Marcos Baghdatis on Tuesday in his opening match at the venue for the 2020 Olympic tennis competition.