Rafael Nadal has insisted that his victory in the first round of the VTR Open in Chile marked an "important day" for him.
The Spanish world number five made his return to singles action on Wednesday following a seven-month absence with a knee injury and he overcame Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-2.
"I ran a lot and I'm happy because the knee held up well," said Nadal.
"I feel happy to be playing singles again. It's been an important day for me."
The top seed will face either Albert Montanes or Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the second round.
