Murray faces qualifier Cameron Norrie (also of Britain) in the round of 16.

Other men's action saw American John Isner fire off 22 aces on the way to defeating 7th seed Gael Monfils, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3. Isner faces British qualifier Daniel Evans in the round of 16.

Top seed Dominic Thiem had a straightforward 6-4, 6-1 win over Richard Gasquet, setting up a meeting with home player Zhang Zhizhen in the round of 16.

Last year's champion Nikoloz Basilashvili overcame a few hiccups to defeat Guido Pella of Argentina 6-4, 7-6 (3). Up next for Basilashvilli is third-seeded Stefans Tsitsipas of Greece, who bounced back from a set down to defeat Dusan Lajovic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

On the WTA side, the first match on Lotus Court saw world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty score her first-ever win in Beijing to take out No. 37 Yulia Putinseva in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

The pair traded breaks out of the gate, but Barty would go one break up serving at 2-all to establish a lead that she would maintain for the rest of the opener.

Barty's aggressive forehand (both cross-court and down the line) proved decisive in both sets. Her high-risk approach saw her rack up 23 winners (13 on the forehand side) but also 27 unforced errors (15 of those off the forehand).

Up next for Barty is China's Zheng Saisai, who stunned American 13th seed Sloane Stephens in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Zheng played well on both offensive and defensive fronts, saving seven of the eight break points she faced and converting five of the six she created.

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