• Shanghai Masters

Murray safely through to Shanghai third round

Andy Murray beat Jerzy Janowicz 7-5 6-2 © Getty Images

Enlarge

Andy Murray eased past Jerzy Janowicz to move into the third round of the Shanghai Masters as his hopes of qualifying for the World Tour Finals in London were boosted by exits for Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori.

The British No.1 needed an hour and 28 minutes to defeat his Polish opponent 7-5 6-2. Murray is still in the hunt for a place at November's event, where the top eight players in the world meet at London's O2 Arena for the season-ending showdown.

Murray, who is ranked 11th in the world but sits ninth in the Race to London, was convincing from the start, losing just four points on his serve in the first set against an opponent he beat just eight days ago on his way to the China Open semi-finals.

"You need to play a high, high level to win against him," Murray said. "He certainly doesn't give away many matches during the year. [He] certainly hasn't given me any matches when I've played against him.

"In these conditions, if you serve well, you can get free points on your serve, and that can help against someone that obviously returns well. Try and get some free points there. Hopefully play a solid match."

After a dominant first set, Murray survived a minor hiccup in the second as he served a pair of aces to save two break points. With Murray's confidence growing, Janowicz's appeared to desert him as the Scot blunted his hopes of a comeback.

Janowicz endured a gruelling first round victory over France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin and had the trainer on court to tend to a sore right ankle as Murray blasted through the second set.

Murray sealed the win with breaks in the fourth and eighth games of the second set and will now face old adversary David Ferrer in the third round.

"All of the players that are looking to qualify for the World Tour Finals will be aware of what's going on," Murray added. "But you need to just concentrate on trying to win your matches. That's the best thing that you can do for your chances to qualify.

"I haven't been in this position for a while, so in some ways it's kind of new. But I'm enjoying it so far. [It is] Just giving me a little bit of extra focus and direction for the last few tournaments."

Ferrer, who was a losing finalist against Murray in 2011, survived a tense second round match with Martin Klizan, needing three sets to get past the Slovakian 4-6 7-6(4) 6-4.

The Spaniard is himself battling for a spot in the O2 event and currently sits 10th in the Race to London, making his third round clash with Murray all the more important for both men.

Elsewhere, Jack Sock upset US Open finalist Nishikori 7-6(5) 6-4 to claim his place in the third round. He will face Julien Benneteau for a quarter-final berth after the Frenchman staged a surprise of his own, defeating Dimitrov 7-5 6-3 to seal a third-round spot.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd