Murray moving in the right direction

Andy Murray felt his convincing start to the Madrid Open was another step in the right direction as he seeks to rediscover top form following a disappointing few months.

Third seed Murray comfortably saw off the potentially tough challenge of clay-court specialist Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-3 last night to progress to the third round at La Caja Magica. The Scot had only won one match in his previous three tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome, but his performance against Chela has given Murray cause for optimism.

"It was good, better than last week (in Rome) and that's all I'm looking to do just now, improve every week and start playing better," said Murray, who won the Madrid title in 2008 when it was played on a hard court.

"I want to get back to feeling good on the court, feeling comfortable, going for my shots and moving like I did today.

"If I do that I'll start to go deep into tournaments again. I just want to enjoy playing."

Murray's next opponent is Romanian Victor Hanescu, who he will face late on Thursday afternoon.

Hanescu reached the third round by defeating qualifier Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-0 4-6 6-3. Munoz-De La Nava had knocked out 14th seed Sam Querrey, last weekend's winner of the Serbia Open, in the first round.

"I've only played him once before in Monte Carlo last year and played very well against him, but he's a tricky player," said Murray of the 6ft 6in Hanescu, whom he beat 6-3 6-2 in their previous meeting.

"He's a big guy. He doesn`t serve huge for his height but his serve gets up high and the altitude will help him.

"I need to get him moving, that's what you need to do against guys that are that big."