 Murray has moved from 64 to 19 in the world this year |
Andy Murray made an impressive start to his Paris Masters campaign, beating Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5 6-0 despite struggling with a throat infection. The Scot was broken early in the first set but recovered to make it 4-4 and from then on he was in control.
Argentine Chela was forced to save two set points at 5-4 but Murray broke him in the 12th game to seal the set.
Murray then swept comfortably through the second set to set up a third-round meeting with Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty.
Hrbaty defeated Russia's Igor Andreev 6-4 6-3.
"I was really struggling in the first six or seven games of the match with my breathing," Murray told The Guardian.
 | Every match I win, I think Shanghai is getting a little closer |
"I wasn't able to practise that much because of the illness but it was a great second set.
"He started well and maybe I could have started better but he's not in the top 40 for nothing."
Defending champion Tomas Berdych came from a set down to beat Olivier Rochus 6-7 (7-4) 6-4 6-2 for a place in the last 16.
Despite the win, Berdych will miss the end of season Masters Cup in Shanghai after seventh seed James Blake beat Arnaud Clement 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Blake hit aces on the final two points in the sixth and seventh games and came back from 0-40 down when serving for the match against Clement, closing it out with two straight service winners.
"Every match I win, I think Shanghai is getting a little closer," said Blake.
"If I take care of what I need to do then hopefully it won't make as much difference how the rest of them are doing."
Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who reached the finals of his last three tournaments, also saw his hopes of a place in China disappear.
The fifth seed slumped to a 3-6 6-4 7-5 defeat against Frenchman Julien Benneteau.
But Tommy Robredo, the sixth seed, staged an incredible comeback to beat France's 2001 Paris champion Sebastien Grosjean.
The Spaniard, lying in the eighth and final qualifying place for Shanghai, came back from a set and 2-5 down to win 3-6 7-5 6-4.
Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu caused a surprise with a straight-sets win over 12th seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
"I didn't play my best match today," said Mathieu, after the 7-6 (13-11) 7-6 (7-4) win. "So to beat a very, very good player like him is good for my confidence."
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