There were also straight-sets victories for second seed Novak Djokovic and No. 8 Andy Roddick.
Murray made an early exit in Valencia last week and looked sluggish again as he lost serve in the third and fifth games after struggling to adapt to the super-fast conditions like many of his rivals this week.
“I haven’t played on a quicker court since since I’ve been on the tour,” Murray told reporters. “I was struggling to control the ball, and then changed the tension on my rackets … and felt a lot more comfortable,” he said, adding that he decided to serve and volley as a result of the conditions.
Nalbandian, a former Paris winner, visibly tired after having his serve broken at the end of the second set.
At 2-2 in the third the Briton called for the trainer to massage his right wrist and that galvanized him to take four of the last five games.
“I think I should be okay for the rest of the tournament,” the Scot said. “I managed to finish the match and normally, if your wrist injury is bad you can’t.”
Murray next plays 13th-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic who beat Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 4-6, 6-3.
Serb Djokovic was also in trouble early on against Argentine Juan Monaco before recovering to win 6-4, 6-3.
“It’s a very fast court … a lot more different than last year and it’s quite a change that you have to adjust to,” said defending champion Djokovic.
“It’s rare to find a very fast court these days.”
Djokovic’s next test will be against Frenchman Michael Llodra, who he could face in the Davis Cup final in December.
Llodra, who is contention with Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils for one two singles spots in Belgrade, comfortably dispatched 16th seed John Isner 6-3, 6-4.
Roddick breezed past Finnish qualifier Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
The big-hitting American is trying to qualify for this month’s ATP Tour Finals in London and holds the last remaining spot ahead of Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who is also in contention.
“Every match I win is significant at this point … it puts pressure on the guys behind me,” said Roddick.
“The last thing you want is to be at home cheering against somebody hoping that something bad happens to them.”
Roddick fired nine aces as his serve and volley game prevailed on the quick surface.
Elsewhere number 10 seed Nikolay Davydenko eased passed Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-0 and now meets Tomas Berdych in the third round.
Federer says he asked IMG executive about bets
Meantime, Roger Federer has denied any involvement in alleged high-stakes gambling by an executive from his management company in a story published by the New York Times.
The tennis star said in a story posted Wednesday that he contacted IMG executive Ted Forstmann after learning of a lawsuit in which Forstmann is accused of betting millions on sporting events, including the 2007 French Open final that Federer lost to Rafael Nadal.
“I reached out to him and told him I want to know everything about it, how this came about,” Federer told the newspaper. “And he’s been, you know, nice enough obviously to tell me from his side and has been very open in the press already. So that’s OK.”
Forstmann does not represent Federer; Tony Godsick of IMG is his agent.
“Tony is my guy, but still, it’s a firm that does a lot in sports,” Federer said. “So it’s just something that for me is important to know what is going on from their side, too.”
Forstmann is being sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Agate Printing Inc. for fraud, interference with contract and breach of contract. In the complaint, which seeks extensive damages for lost business Forstmann allegedly promised, Agate Printing executive Jim Agate claims to have served as a conduit for Forstmann’s gambling.
Forstmann acknowledged betting on Federer and gambling on sports in general, but rejected Agate’s claim that he increased bets on Federer after consulting with him.
“I might have called Roger before the match in 2007,” Forstmann told the website The Daily Beast. “But Roger is a buddy of mine, and all I would be doing is wishing him luck.”
Agate’s lawsuit claims that Forstmann bet $5,000 on Federer to win the 2006 French Open final, a match he also lost to Nadal, and the following year placed bets of $22,000 and $11,000 on Federer to win on June 9, the day before the men’s final.
Although Grand Slam tennis tournaments have rules barring players from gambling on matches, there are no rules prohibiting agents or other members of player entourages from betting on tennis.
