Mason, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - British star Andy Murray defeated Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match at the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday.
The eighth-seeded Murray, who received a bye into the second round, won this Masters 1000 event in 2008 and 2011, beating Novak Djokovic each time. Murray will face 11th-seeded American John Isner in the third round.
Isner, who lost to Rafael Nadal in last year's Cincinnati final, bested Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 7-6 (7-1).
While Murray easily advanced, Czech Tomas Berdych and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov made quick exits after also being given byes.
The fourth-seeded Berdych lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu, while the seventh-seeded Dimitrov fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to Poland's Jerzy Janowicz.
Spaniard Tommy Robredo, the 16th seed, will battle Djokovic in the third round after eliminating American wild card Sam Querrey in straight sets.
Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny and Frenchman Julien Benneteau also moved on. Youzhny knocked off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, last week's Rogers Cup champion, in an opening-round match on Tuesday.
The winner of this U.S. Open Series tournament will earn $638,850.
