Dubai: World number one Andy Murray steered his way to an emphatic 6-2, 6-0 win over Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez even as two more seeds stumbled on the third day of the Dubai Tennis Championships, on Wednesday.

After sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut and fifth seed Tomas Berdych had joined the exit list, it was fourth seed Gael Monfils and the top-seeded Murray avoiding any further casualties of seeds.

Fernando Verdasco came up with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Bautista Agut in nearly two-and-a-half hours on a hot afternoon, while fifth seed Berdych caved in 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to a gallant Robin Haase from the Netherlands.

However, bucking the trend was fourth seed Monfils as the World No 12 got past Great Britain’s Daniel Evans 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 before Murray’s show that lasted for all but 72 minutes against an opponent who had defeated him in straight sets the last time the two met at the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in 2012.

As predicted by Murray the previous night, Garcia-Lopez was supposed to be tricky. And the Spaniard lived up to his opponent’s premonition as the first three games took a lengthy 17 minutes of the 47 spent on the opening set.

But once Murray had got the initial break in the fourth game, there was very little the World No 1 player was willing to give away as he won quite comfortably. The second set proved to be a contrast as Murray stayed focused and, with a terrific serve to back him, swept past his hapless opponent in just 25 minutes and book a quarter-finals against Germany’s Philipp Kohlscreiber today.

Murray was relieved to get off to a solid start. “Often the start of the match is the key, especially the way that that one got going. When I got the early break, it was pretty much almost 30 minutes in and we’d only played four games. Mentally, that was important for me to be up at that stage,” Murray related.

“It could have gone either way, obviously with the first few games. But being up at that stage helped, and then I loosened up a bit after that and played really well,” he added.

The world number one was also mentally happy with the way he could get out of situations. “It was the way how I played at the beginning of the year, that’s for sure. You know, playing aggressive, feeling more solid, when I’m in a position to dictate the points, I’m doing it, moving forward,” he said.

“I hit my forehand very well in the last couple of matches. I served better today. It’s been a good start. Obviously matches will get tougher, but I’m much happier with how I’m playing,” he insisted.

RESULTS

(Men’s Singles)

Fernando Verdasco bt Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Philipp Kohlschreiber bt Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4; Lucas Pouille bt Marius Copil 6-1, 6-4; Gael Monfils bt Daniel Evans 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Robin Haase bt Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Andy Murray bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-0; Damir Dzumhur bt Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4.

Roger Federer vs Evgeny Donskoy ****

ORDER OF PLAY (Thursday)

Centre Court (Start at 3pm) Robin Haase vs Damir Dzumhur; Fernando Verdasco vs Gael Monfils; (Not before 7pm) Andy Murray vs Philipp Kohlschreiber; Roger Federer OR Evgeny Donskoy vs Lucas Pouille.

Court 1 (Start at 5pm) James Cerretani/Philipp Oswald OR Guillermo Garcia-Lopez/Leander Paes vs Daniel Nestor/Edouard Roger-Vasselin; (After suitable rest) Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau vs Philipp Kohlschreiber/Florian Mayer.