Rafael Nadal shrugged off any lingering back soreness to storm past qualifier Michael Mmoh Thursday for the loss of just seven games, brushing off a bizarre incident that saw a female fan thrown out. The world number two has been struggling with tightness in his lower back since arriving in Australia last month, but showed few signs of it with the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena. He crushed the American 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a match interrupted in the second set when a woman was ejected after heckling him and directing rude gestures in his direction. 

The Spanish great took it in his stride, grinning and playing football with the ball while he waited, seemingly enjoying having spectators -- a rarity during the pandemic. Asked afterwards whether he knew the woman, he replied: "No, and honestly I don`t want to know. "Maybe she take too much gin or tequila. I don`t know, but honestly was strange situation, but funny at the same time," he added. "Honestly, somebody doing the finger to me... I don`t know the reason, but I was surprised, but at the same time was thinking, `poor girl`, because probably she was drunk or something like this."