Number 15 seed Andy Murray continued his good form at the Hamburg Masters with a professional 6-3 6-3 win over Frenchman Gilles Simon.

The win sets up a potential third round clash with Rafael Nadal, should the Spaniard get past the challenge of Potito Starace.

Murray got off to the best of starts on Court One at the Rothenbaum Club, taking advantage of some sloppy shotmaking from the Frenchman to break in the first game of the match.

It set the tone for the rest of the opening set and he broke for a second time in the fifth game to take a 4-1 lead.

A brief lapse in concentration in the next game allowed Simon to break back straight away, but the loss of serve failed to derail the Scot and he went on to take the first set 6-3 without any further problems.

The 23-year-old Simon held his own during the second set until he was broken for a fourth time in the match as Murray took a 5-3 lead.

The rest was a formality, leaving the Scot to look forward to a possible date with Nadal on what will be his 21st birthday.

"It was a very good win," Murray told Sky Television. "[Simon] has beaten some top guys on clay and he's a tough clay court player.

"I'm happy to have finished it off in two sets. I'm gaining confidence on clay. I've had a couple of good wins this week and hopefully I can keep it going in my next match.

"[Playing Nadal] will be a good experience for me. Obviously, he's playing unbelievably on clay at the moment but if I play like I did today I can give him a decent run for his money."

Mike Hytner / Eurosport