India's World No 221 defeated the 119th ranked Colombian 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 13 minutes; will face Germany's World No 228 Maximilian Marterer next.
Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly ordered the Australian Government on Monday to release Djokovic from Melbourne hotel quarantine within 30 minutes of his decision.
The 34-year-old is fighting deportation and the cancellation of his visa in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
The focus will be on Bhambri, who lost invaluable three years due to a troubling knee but in a few tournaments that he has played going into the fresh season, the talented Delhi player seems ready for the grind yet again.
Djokovic is awaiting court proceedings on Monday that will determine whether he can defend his Australian Open title or whether he will be deported — and the world has shown keen interest in his temporary accommodation.
The virtual hearing is scheduled on Monday and will take place at 10 AM local time in Melbourne (4:30 AM IST on Monday) in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
In court documents published on Saturday, it was stated that Djokovic recorded a positive test on December 16, and has not had a fever or respiratory symptoms of Covid-19 in the last 72 hours".
Djokovic received calls from his native Serbia, including from his parents and the president, who hoped to boost his spirits on the holiday.
Australian prime minister embraced the country's border force's decision to deny the Serbian tennis star entry, saying nobody is beyond the law.
By the time he landed at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport, a nation that endured months-long lockdowns and kept its border closed until recently was spitting mad. Suddenly, his exemption wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion will spend at least another night in immigration detention, probably even the weekend.
Rafael Nadal began his preparations for the Australian Open 2021 well with a straight-set win over Ricardas Berankis in the opening round of the Summer Set tennis tournament.
'The world has been suffering enough to not follow the rules,' said Nadal after Djokovic's visa was cancelled by Australian authorities after 8-hour detention at the Melbourne airport.
Djokovic is also pursuing legal action against his visa cancellation by Australian authorities.
Djokovic had to spend eight hours in detention at Melbourne Airport where he unsuccessfully pleaded his case to border officials.
Regining champion Novak Djokovic might never get to defend his Australian Open title even before the tournament starts in Melbourne from January 17, let's learn, why?
The top-ranked Djokovic announced on social media Tuesday that he had “exemption permission” and landed in Australia late Wednesday after receiving a medical exemption from the Victoria state government that would shield him from the strict vaccination regulations in place for this year's first major tennis tournament.
The Victoria state government mandated that only fully vaccinated players, staff, fans and officials could enter Melbourne Park when the tournament starts on January 17th.
The exemption allows the top-ranked Djokovic entry to the tournament regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19.
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