Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal won in his first singles appearance since June, rolling to a second-round victory Wednesday at the VTR Open in Chile.
The top-seeded Spanish superstar breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis on the clay courts of Vina del Mar, swatting four aces en route to the win.
Nadal made his long-anticipated return to tennis after sitting out seven months with a knee injury. The current world No. 5 chose to make his reappearance in South America, where he hasn't competed since 2005 as an 18-year-old.
His next opponent will be the winner of a second-round test between fellow Spaniards Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Albert Montanes.
Also Wednesday, defending Vina del Mar champion and No. 3 seed Juan Monaco of Argentina succumbed to Frenchman Guillaume Rufin in an upset, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
In other second-round action, eighth-seeded Carlos Berlocq advanced with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over Colombian Santiago Giraldo.
The wrap-up of first-round play saw No. 5 seed Albert Ramos, sixth-seeded Paolo Lorenzi and Gimeno-Traver record victories.
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Rafael Nadal Logs Victory in First Singles Match
February 7, 2013
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Source: Copyright United Press International 2013
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