He's already got the buffed body - thanks to hours in the gym - now Andy Murray has the mental strength to match.

The British number one seemed to be cruising to victory at the French Open tennis when he suddenly and inexplicably stuttered, losing 11 of out 13 games as lowly-ranked Potito Starace eyed a famous and improbable win.

But the Scot's fighting instincts are stronger than ever, even if clay remains an alien surface to the natural strengths of his game.

He recovered from 5-1 down in the third set to win six games on the bounce, breaking his Italian rival's resolve as he rode his momentum to a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

"I managed to find a way to win and that is the most important thing," said Murray.

"I'm just happy to be in the next round because it wasn't looking good at one point.

"I don't really know what happened. When he broke me in the second set, it seemed to give him a lot of confidence.

"I allowed him to use his forehand and he started to dictate the points and kept me behind the baseline."

Murray was sch eduled first on Court Philippe Chatrier, meaning an early start for a player who will readily admit he is not a morning person.

However, he started strongly, showing the same confidence he had displayed in an impressive first round win over Juan Ignacio Chela on Sunday.

And when the pressure was applied, he finally found his range and rythym, saving two set points before securing his progress in exactly two hours.

"It was a little chilly and windy and that made things difficult," he added.

"I just decided to be more aggressive and go for my shots and make him work hard for it."

Murray will now face Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic as he looks for a place in the fourth round for the first time in his career.

Serbian Tipsarevic, the world number 65, needed four sets and four hours to beat Feliciano Lopez, the 28th seed and boasts a decent record against the third seed.

They've played four times, most recently in St Petersburg last year, and honours are even with two wins each - including a win for Tipsarevic at Queen's Club three years ago.