Andy Murray was made to work hard but he got the job done against Alexander Bublik to reach the quarter-finals of the Boss Open.
The Brit got his campaign underway in Stuttgart with victory over Christopher O'Connell earlier in the week and it was another straight-sets win as he beat seventh seed Bublik 6-3 7-6.
Murray got the job done in a tie-break, having saved three set points in the second set after he trailed 2-5.
It was the third time the two have played each other this year, with Murray winning in Rotterdam before Bublik came out on top at Indian Wells.
“He’s predictable in his unpredictability,” Murray said after securing victory.
“You’re prepared for some amazing shots and then maybe some loose games.
“Today he played some amazing stuff for five or six games in the second set and everything was coming off. I was getting a bit frustrated but I kept fighting, held a tough game at 5-2 and then I thought I played well through to the finish.”
Next up for Murray is a tough test against Stefanos Tsitsipas, after the tough seed eased past Dominic Stricker 6-3 6-4 in his opening match of the tournament.
That will be the second time the Brit has faced Tsitsipas, with the first clash coming in an epic first-round encounter at the US Open last summer.
Tsitsipas lost two of the first three sets but came back to win in five that day, though his lengthy bathroom breaks between sets led to Murray stating in his post-match press-conference that he had “lost respect” for the Greek player.
