Having beaten the 20-time Grand Slam champion on one of his clay strongholds, Rublev's next opponent is unseeded Norwegian Casper Ruud.
Eleven-time Monte Carlo champion Nadal had no problems in his match as he dismissed Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-1 in 55 minutes.
Against Delbonis, an Argentine qualifier, Nadal saved four of the five break points he faced. He will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion earlier withdrew from this month's tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands.
It is only the second time in Nadal’s career he has lost a Grand Slam match after taking the opening two sets.
Tsitsipas grabbed the third set in a tiebreaker with the help of some uncharacteristic mistakes by Nadal.
Nadal’s sore back seems to be improving as he heads into the Australian Open quarterfinals with an eye on a men's-record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
Rafael Nadal will play Italian veteran Fabio Fognini for a place in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Day 8.
It is a tricky balance when someone of Norrie’s ilk — the owner of a grand total of six wins in Grand Slam matches — goes up against someone of Nadal’s stature on one of their sport’s biggest stages.
Nadal is chasing a men’s record 21st major title but entered the tournament with back stiffness and without any competitive matches in 2021.
The 20-time major champion completed the match against the 177th-ranked Mmoh in 1 hour, 47 minutes and said it was a “positive evening for me.”
Top-seeded Ash Barty is aiming to continue her sparkling form when she takes on fellow Australian Daria Gavrilova in the second round
Rafael Nadal starts his bid for a men’s record 21st major singles title with a first-round match against Laslo Djere on Rod Laver Arena.
The World No. 2 opts out of the first match of the ATP Cup in Melbourne due to a stiff lower back.
All players arriving in Australia were required to undergo two weeks' quarantine along with their support staff.
Tennis Australia, the governing body for the sport, said in a statement on Saturday that the group of international players will arrive in Adelaide from January 14 and undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
The changes include the start of the year’s first major championship, the Australian Open, delayed three weeks to Feb. 8, and the joint event played at Indian Wells, California
Djokovic's Serbia and Nadal's Spain will compete against Austria, Russia, Greece, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Japan, France, Canada and Australia in the 12-team competition, as per an ATP media release.
Djokovic along with Spain's Rafael Nadal will finish the year as the top two players in the rankings for the third consecutive year and the fifth time overall when the next update is made
Novak Djokovic is set to equal Pete Sampras' record with a sixth year-end No. 1 finish when the year-end rankings are officially released on December 7.
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