Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal will face Nicolas Almagro in the second round of the 2016 Rio Open in Brazil. Reuters/Marcos Brindicci

Rafael Nadal advanced into the second round of the 2016 Rio Open in Brazil, and will next face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro with hopes of staying in the competition for a second title in the tournament.

An hour of rain delayed Nadal’s opening match at the Rio Open, but that did not stop the 14-time Grand Slam winner from dispatching compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-4 at Jockey Club Brasileiro. Nadal is convinced he played well against Busta, but the Mallorcan also hopes he will put up the same performance against Almagro, who needed three sets to defeat Daniel Munoz de la Nava 6-1 3-6 6-4.

"Almagro is a very difficult opponent on every surface, but especially on clay, which is his best surface,” Nadal said, reports the ATP’s official website. “I know it's going to be a difficult match. I will need to play at a high level to have chances.”

Nadal leads Almagro in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup by 13-1. The 29-year-old’s only loss came in 2014 at the Barcelona Open, where Almagro defeated the world No. 5 in the quarterfinals of the clay-surfaced tournament.

The 2016 Rio Open has opened talks about Nadal possibly playing in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Spaniard won a gold medal in Beijing 2008, but skipped the London Olympics due to an injury. This year, Nadal said he will try his best to compete in the quadrennial event, but insisted his focus is currently fixed on the ongoing tournament.

"The Olympics is a very important event, a very special one, and I'm going to try my best when the Olympics arrive," Nadal said, reports ESPN. "But for now I'm playing the ATP tournament in Rio. That's the most important thing for me."

Meanwhile, second seed and defending champion David Ferrer will face fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who advanced after Serb Dusan Lajovic retired hurt in the first set of their match. Ferrer defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-3 7-6(3) to advance into the next round.

Live streaming info and score updates

Watch the Rio Open 2016 live via ATP’s official website or TennisTV. Live scores for matches will be available on game days via ATP's official website.