Wawrinka, Murray thru'

Defending French Open champion Stan Wawrinka reached the third round on Wednesday after labouring to a 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-4 win over Japan's Taro Daniel.

The third-seeded Swiss fended off two set points against world number 93 Daniel in an opening tie-break, and Wawrinka was also forced to rally from a break down in the third set before wrapping up a straight-sets victory.

Having narrowly avoiding becoming the first reigning Roland Garros champion to lose in the first round when he was taken to five sets by Lukas Rosol, Wawrinka was relieved to eventually come through unscathed against a player with just one Grand Slam win to his name.

"I'm happy to get through in three sets. For sure it was some up and down, could have been better, but winning three sets, it's always good, and in general I think it's been a good day," said Wawrinka.

Wawrinka will face 32nd-ranked Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, an opponent the Swiss has beaten in all four previous meetings, for a place in the last 16.

Britain's Andy Murray survived a monumental second-round upset as he battled back to beat 164th-ranked local wildcard Mathias Bourgue 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Second seed Murray looked poised for a routine victory after sweeping to the opening set against Bourgue, but the Frenchman stunned the world number two by claiming the next two sets to leave Murray facing his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2008.

However, the two-time major champion responded in the fourth to force a decider, and Murray completed a second straight nervy five-set win having been taken the distance by Radek Stepanek in the opening round.

Murray, a three-time Roland Garros semi-finalist, will play veteran big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic for a place in the last 16.

Croatian 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man since Jimmy Connors in 1991 to reach the French Open third round.

Karlovic, the 27th seed, defeated Australian wildcard Jordan Thompson 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (4/7), 12-10 in a four and a half hour marathon. Connors was 38 years and 280 days old when he fell in the French Open third round in 1991.