Murray, top seed at the Valencia Open, forged an early 4-0 lead in the opening set before losing three games in a row.

But he bounced back to win it in 35 minutes and after breaking to lead 3-1 in the second allowed his 75th-ranked opponent no further opportunities.

Murray, 22, still troubled by a wrist injury which requires ice treatment, had expected to be rusty.

The British star, who has slipped from a career high of second in the world in August to a current position of fourth, will finish the season by playing at this month’s Paris Masters 1000 and ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Murray next faces Leonardo Mayer after the Argentine upset Russia’s Igor Andreev 6-3 6-3.

Among the players still looking to nail down one of the last two places at the season-ending World Tour Finals in London, fifth seed Gilles Simon of France had an easy 6-3 6-2 win over Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn.

Simon’s compatriot Gael Monfils, the number six seed, defeated Spanish wild card Marcel Granollers 6-4 6-2 while seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo outlasted Belgian qualifier Christophe Rochus 6-0 5-7 6-3 in a match which finished deep into the night.

In Wednesday’s second-round action, Simon takes on Czech Tomas Berdych, Monfils plays Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga meets Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny and Fernando Verdasco plays Spanish compatriot Oscar Hernandez.

Verdasco and Tsonga also have a chance to make it to the 22-29 November Tour Finals.

Murray will end his association with Fred Perry-branded sportswear when he signs a new kit deal with German giant adidas, to take effect from the start of 2010. He will wear the kit in competition for the first time at the Hopman Cup in January.