World number two Andy Murray is safely through to the third round of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters ©Getty Images

World number two Andy Murray is safely through to the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters after he overcame French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert in three sets today.

Murray, the two-time Grand Slam champion, began his clay court campaign in encouraging fashion at the Monte Carlo Country Club as he raced to the opening set and appeared to be coasting into the next round.

But a series of unforced errors in the second allowed Herbert, the world number 95, a way back into the contest and he took it with aplomb, breaking the Murray serve on three occasions on his way to levelling the match at one-set all to send it into a decider.

The Frenchman smelt blood and fancied his chances of condemning the Briton to another early exit following recent defeats at the hands of Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov at the Miami Open and Federico Delbonis of Argentina at Indian Wells.

Murray, however, wasn’t about to suffer the same fate as breaks in the fourth and sixth games helped him wrap up a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.

The 28-year-old Olympic champion will go up against either Frenchman Benoit Paire or Joao Sousa of Portugal, who he beat on the way to the Australian Open final in January, in round three after they both came through their respective encounters.

Sousa held off the challenge of big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic, progressing with a 6-3, 7-6 success, while Paire recovered from a set down before claiming a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win over Inigo Cervantes of Spain.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer, the 17-times Grand Slam winner, marked his first competitive appearance since the Australian Open by earning a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory against Guillermo García-López of Spain.

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Roger Federer marked his competitive return with a comfortable straight sets win over Guillermo García-López ©Getty Images

The Swiss maestro, who injured himself while running a bath for his daughter before undergoing surgery in February, will play Jeremy Chardy of France or Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the next round.

“At the end, again, I had to fight for it,” said Federer.

“I went through different phases in the match.

“Also emotionally.

“I was excited and tense in the beginning just because it’s a first round.

“It’s my first match back.

“So it was nice to go through all these emotions.”

Belgium’s David Goffin, seeded 11th, is also through after he beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-0.

The tournament in Monte Carlo continues tomorrow.