Andy Murray blamed the windy conditions at the French Open for his struggle to beat world No104 Potito Starace of Italy.

The No3 seed began the second-round match in authoritative fashion but Starace took the second set and led 5-1 in the third before Murray won six consecutive games, saving two set points along the way, to reassert his control.

Murray eventually triumphed 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in chilly weather that was in stark contrast to the warm sunshine that greeted his first-round thrashing of Juan Ignacio Chela.

The British No1, who has never been beyond the third round at Roland Garros, said: “There were very different conditions today from my first match. It was cold. From the stands it's tough to tell but even when it might feel like a slight breeze, on the big courts it does make a huge difference.

“From one of the ends it was tough to play aggressively. The court felt quite damp, and my opponent was playing well. So I'm just happy I managed to find a way to win.”

The Scot will now face Janko Tipsarevic on Friday after he beat 27th seed Feliciano Lopez in four sets and Murray is unlikely to face as many drop shots then as he did on Court Philippe Chatrier today.

It was a tactic Starace would increasingly resort to and the Scot at first was wise to it, chasing down a drop volley to break on the first of two occasions as he took the first set.

Murray seemingly had the match in control but Starace broke twice to take the second and again in the third to lead 5-1, mixing up the drop shots with more aggressive play to good effect.

However, the 22-year-old British No1 fought back valiantly, fending off a set point in his next service game before breaking back with a stunning forehand cross-court winner. Murray saved another set point at 3-5 but the tide was beginning to turn as Starace returned to using the drop shot with desperation rather than intelligence, contributing heavily to Murray taking the set 7-5.

The fourth went with serve until Murray sealed the match with a forehand winner in the tenth game.

“With the drop shots, I was struggling a bit with my movement and I guess he exploited that,” said Murray. “I started to read it a little bit better as the match went on. I normally find ways to win when I'm not playing my best. I hope I can start to do that more on clay.”

Elsewhere, there were wins for No12 seed Fernando Gonzalez, Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco and Marin Cilic while top women's seed Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic are also through.

Court Shorts

* Rafa Nadal and his flamboyant choice of attire has become the talk of the WTA Tour. During a rain delay yesterday, three female players were seen giggling over pictures of the Spaniard in his pink t-shirt. His sponsors, Nike, proposed the colour change last year but only now has the world No1 decided the time is right. His website has even turned pink to mark the occasion and he said: “It's better than dressing the same colour every week, no?”

* Marion Bartoli is taking her time learning to drive — at the age of 24, she's yet to take her test — but she won't be slow away from the lights once she gets behind the wheel. Asked what she most desired, the French 13th seed said: “A McLaren SLR with 614 horse power. I dream of owning that car. I don't have my driving licence yet but I love cars. When my career is over I'm going to buy a McLaren!”