DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rafael Nadal struggled to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Philipp Kohlschreiber on Monday and reached the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The second-ranked Spaniard said the fast surface and difficult draw made things hard on him.

"Sure, it was a tough match," said Nadal, who lost in the second round last month in Rotterdam, Netherlands. "You play the first round like you'd play a quarterfinals."

Kohlschreiber, ranked 27th, had 12 aces in the match.

Eighth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic also advanced, beating Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-2. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-3.

"It's always good to go through the first round in straight sets," said Djokovic, who won after Cilic saved two match points.

Mikhail Ledovskikh of Russia, Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, Olivier Rochus of Belgium and Feliciano Lopez of Spain also reached the second round.

On Monday, top-ranked Roger Federer lost his second straight match.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who had won four of the last five titles in Dubai, lost to Andy Murray 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 in his first match since losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals.

"Roger is starting to lose more and more," Djokovic said. "Now, players have started to believe they can win."