Murray advances in Barcelona after injured Tomic withdraws

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Top-seeded Andy Murray advanced to the third round at the Barcelona Open after Bernard Tomic withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday.

Tomic, who needed three sets to defeat Dustin Brown in the first round on Tuesday, said he would not be able to face Murray because of a lower back injury.

The top-ranked Murray was originally going to skip the Barcelona Open but decided to play after being eliminated in the third round at the Monte Carlo Masters, when he blew a 4-0 lead in the deciding set to Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Murray is trying to regain his form going into the French Open following a right elbow injury that kept him out of the Miami Open and the Davis Cup quarterfinals.