Former French Open finalist Magnus Norman continued his comeback from injury with victory in the first round of the Japan Open.

Norman, recovering from a hip injury, claimed his first tournament singles victory in almost two months when he defeated George Bastl of Switzerland 6-3 6-0.

The 26-year-old Swede, who is now ranked 212th in the world, had to negotiate the tournament's qualifying round before taking his place in the main draw.

He was satisfied with the straight sets win which earns him a second round tie against second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

"This was a great win, my first in the main draw for months and the body feels good. That's the main thing," said Norman.

"He started off well but I felt good at the start. My shots were on target and my game is improving with every match. That's the positive thing."

"My game is on the way to become better. I don't know where I am right now on the scale of one to ten. I'm getting better with each match. That's the positive thing.

"There is no secret, it's only hard work, playing week-in, week-out. If you are injured every second week, it's difficult to come back, but the body has come up good."

Norman now faces second seed and Hong Kong Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.