Tournament number one Ferrer, who cannot increase his points unless he reaches the Sunday final at the Stadthalle, opened in the second round after a bye with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Tobias Kamke.
Second seed Murray, a debutant in the Austrian capital, defeated Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4.
Ferrer stands provisional ninth in the points race to the World Tour Finals next month in London; Murray is trailing on tenth.
With eighth-placed Canadian Milos Raonic losing his opening match in Moscow due to illness, the sprint to the finish over the season is only tightening for the three remaining spots in the eight-man field.-AFP
