World number three Novak Djokovic of Serbia demolished qualifier Oscar Hernandez 6-1, 6-2 ending the Spaniard’s ordeal with a stunning forehand winner.

He will take on either Monaco’s Jean-Rene Lisnard or Spain’s Albert Montanes, who knocked out compatriot and 16th seed Nicolas Almagro 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.

“I didn’t quite expect to perform that good, considering the fact that I didn’t have any matches, singles matches, on this surface, and I had very little time to make this transition,” said Djokovic.

“I was really playing aggressively and patiently at the same time.”

Marat Safin won the battle of former world number ones when he tamed Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who claimed the U.S. Men’s Clay court Championships on Sunday 6-4, 7-5 in the first round.

Fourth-seeded Murray, who has never made it past the third round in a claycourt tournament, was 2-1 down in the opening set after dropping serve in the third game but he woke up to take four games in a row.

He clinched victory when Hanescu netted a forehand on the fourth match point.

Murray, who has already won three titles this year, next faces Croatian 14th seed Marin Cilic or Italian Fabio Fognini, a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner against Czech Tomas Berdych, for a berth in the quarter-finals.

“At the start of the match when I got broken, I was sort of moving like I was still on a hard court,” Murray told reporters.

AWFUL SIMON
“Then, after four, five, six games, I started to move better. I hope with each match, I just start to remember how to play on clay. I’m sure I’ll keep getting better.”

Earlier, world number seven Gilles Simon produced an awful performance against German qualifier Andreas Beck, going down 7-5, 6-1 in a second-round match.

“Winning the first round was good but winning today is simply fantastic,” Beck told a courtside interviewer.

Simon said he could not remember ever playing so badly.

“Nothing was right. Nothing was working – my forehand, my backhand, my serve, nothing. I believe this match is a record,” the sixth seed told reporters.

Two other Frenchmen were also sent packing in the first round.

Ninth seed Gael Monfils was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Serb Janko Tipsarevic, while Paul-Henri Mathieu snatched a set from 12th seed David Nalbandian of Argentina but eventually lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.