Key Biscayne, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Reigning champion Andy Murray joined former world No. 1 stars Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as second-round winners Friday at the $4.7 million Sony Open, the second straight ATP Masters 1000 event.
Murray, who also titled here in 2009 and was the runner-up in 2012, dropped the first set against Australia's Matthew Ebden, but the sixth-seeded Wimbledon champ roared back to claim a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 triumph.
The second-seeded Djokovic handled France's Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-3, while the fifth-seeded Federer foiled 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Karlovic popped 13 aces in a losing effort.
The 32-year-old Federer, who lost to Djokovic in last week's marquee finale at Indian Wells, earned the only break of the match in the opening game against Karlovic and lost just three points on his serve on Day 3.
The Serbian stalwart Djokovic is a three-time Miami champion and former runner-up, while the Swiss icon Federer owns two Miami titles and is also a former runner-up.
Playing his first match in three weeks, fourth seed David Ferrer reached the round of 32 by handling Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-0, while ninth- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet topped Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 on the hardcourts at Crandon Park. The French Open runner-up Ferrer was last year's Miami runner-up to Murray.
Eleventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France sailed past countrymate Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-4, while Japan's Kei Nishikori, the 20th seed this week, advanced via a 6-4, 6-1 win over Australia's Marinko Matosevic.
Rising 15th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov dismissed Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 16th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo snuck past qualifier and promising Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), and 32nd- seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain notched a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Czech Jiri Vesely.
A trio of seeded players were sent packing on Friday, as No. 21 Ernests Gulbis, No. 24 Philipp Kohlschreiber and No. 28 Fernando Verdasco all suffered setbacks.
France's Julien Benneteau took down the Latvian Gulbis 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, wild card Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus secured a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5) win over the German Kohlschreiber, and Dutch qualifier Thiemo de Bakker registered a 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 triumph over the Spaniard Verdasco.
Meanwhile, 17th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson leveled Argentine Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-3, 30th-seeded German Florian Mayer dropped Croat Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-2, and 31st-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi outlasted Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 7-6 (10-8), 4-6, 6-4. Mayer's third-round opponent will be Djokovic.
The 2014 winner of this lucrative event will collect $787,000.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.