World No 1 to face Feliciano Lopez on Thursday
Wednesday 26 April 2017 17:35, UK
Andy Murray advanced to the last 16 of the Barcelona Open after Bernard Tomic withdrew on Wednesday.
Tomic felt the effects of his three-set battle against Dustin Brown on Tuesday, and was unable to compete against Murray due to a lower back injury.
Top-ranked Murray was looking to continue his comeback from an elbow injury with a late entry to the tournament as a wildcard.
He was originally going to skip Barcelona but decided to play after being eliminated in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters, when he blew a 4-0 lead in the deciding set to Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Murray will face Feliciano Lopez for a spot in the quarter-finals after the 16th seed beat fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2 6-2.
British No 3 Dan Evans is also through to the third round after picking up his first ATP Tour wins on clay and will face fourth seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal began his quest for a 10th title in Barcelona with a comfortable 6-1 6-2 success over Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva while fifth-ranked David Goffin defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-5 6-0.
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