After a convincing first round victory over former top 20 player, Juan Ignacio Chela, it was fashionable to believe that Murray was starting to figure out this clay surface, and that a deep run might be possible. 27 year old Italian, Potito Starace, ranked 107 in the world (but in the top 30 only 2 years ago) appeared to be little challenge.

After taking the first set 6-3, Murray looked like he was cruising to a comfortable win. Not so fast. Starace came storming back, taking the second set, 6-2, and then going up 5-1 in the third set. All of a sudden, Murray looked like he was headed for a surprise second round exit. Starace was starting to dominate rallies. With Murray retreating many feet behind the baseline, Starace was able to employ a tactic Murray himself loves so much: the drop shot.

This isn’t 2007 Andy Murray nor even 2008 clay court Andy Murray. That Andy Murray would likely have lost the third set and given away the fourth, unable to muster the resolve to come back. Heading into his second year under coach Miles Maclagan (and assisted by Alex Corretja), Murray now works hard to win matches and rarely has bad losses any more. When he’s down, he often fights back to winning positions.

Down two breaks, Murray began to play more aggressive. Rather than exchange neutral rallies and let Starace dictate play, Murray moved the ball around, looking for angles on forehand and backhand, and taking hard shots when opportunities arose. While Murray is perfectly capable of playing this style, he seems reluctant to embrace aggression, fond as he is of making his opponent play the silly shot, while he patiently maneuvers the ball around the court. This style gets him into trouble against most wily clay court veterans who play with comparable pace to Murray, so much so that it often feels like Murray is the one scrambling to win points. Were it not for Murray’s anticipation and defensive skills, he’d lose a number of these matches.

Murray won one game, then another, then another. Starace’s confidence seemed to wither by the moment. When Murray took the sixth and final game and won the third set, momentum appeared to have shifted to the Scot.

However, Starace is a veteran, not so easily swayed by a monumental collapse. He kept the fourth set quite close until late when Murray, off the strength of good returns and aggressive hitting broke Starace at 5-4 to take the fourth set, 6-4.

Andy Murray is now in the third round where he’ll face the winner of Feliciano Lopez and Janko Tipsarevic.

Much like 2008, Americans continue to wilt under the terre battue. The crushed brick and limestone has not been kind lately to Americans. 2009 is even worse. Where Odesnik and Ginepri both made it to at least the third round in 2008, this year, only Andy Roddick has a chance to move that far. Robert Kendrick was matched against Frenchman, Gilles Simon.

Although Simon’s record has been spotty this year, he’s recently played a little better. The two played a tight first set, which went to the Frenchman 7-5. Kendrick had opportunities to break. Then the wheels came off and Simon raced off with the next two sets: 6-0 and 6-1.

Victor Hanescu won over Mikhail Youzhny in three tight sets: 7-5, 7-5, 7-5.

Ernests Gulbis still finds himself on the losing end of too many matche, making it more doubtful whether this talented Latvian will ever find his way at the game’s upper echelon. Gulbis loses to big serving Nicolas Almagro: 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-2.

Verdasco had an easy win over German, Philipp Petzschner (age 25, rank 67), 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Marin Cilic had an easy win over Israeli, Dudi Sela (age 24, rank 55), 6-0, 6-3, 6-1.

Janko Tipsarevic and Feliciano Lopez are battling it out. Tipsarevic is up 2 sets to 1, and they are even in the fourth.

Rafa, Stepanek, Davydenko, and Ferrer are all slated to play later on today.