Holder Tim Henman launched his Paris Masters defence in style with a smooth 6-3, 6-4 victory over Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan on Tuesday.

The third-seeded Briton, thrilled at the prospect of playing his first Masters Cup next week in Houston, put paid to the challenge of the Asian number one in just over an hour.

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, back in action after a three-week break, held off a strong fight back by French sensation Gael Monfils to win his second round match 6-3, 7-6.

Henman, who won the Parisian indoors tournament much to his own surprise last year, faces a tricky third-round match against an in-form opponent.

The Briton will meet either 16th seed Jiri Novak, winner in Basel last week, or Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who triumphed at home in St Petersbug on Sunday.

A break in the eighth game of the first set was enough for Henman to take the upper hand. Srichaphan put up a little more resistance in the second set before losing his serve in the penultimate game.

With the season-ending Masters Cup starting straight after the Paris final and all spots in Houston already awarded, Henman and Hewitt said they wanted to make the most of the last two weeks of a long season.

GOOD PREPARATION

"I'm pleased all round. It obviously helps to have qualified for the Masters Cup," said Henman, who will be playing for the first time in the season-ending showcase.

"Its much better not to be in that situation of having to qualify. When you do, it's always there at the back of your mind," he added.

The Briton, whose first match on the court where he enjoyed his biggest success to date had brought back good memories, said the absence of pressure had helped him "play as confidently and consistently" as he did against Srichaphan.

"This is a good preparation for Houston," echoed Hewitt, the second seed in Paris.

The Australian added that not having to fight for the world number one spot next week -- Swiss Roger Federer having already secured that mantle -- would make the Masters Cup less stressful.

"I'll probably enjoy it a little bit more," he added.

Hewitt had to dig deep in the second set against Monfils, however, before he put paid to the junior world number one's late resistance.

The Australian, a losing finalist at Bercy two years ago, appeared to be on track for a smooth passage as he swept through the first set in the Parisian sports hall.

But the 18-year-old Monfils, winner of three of the four grand slam tournaments in the junior ranks last season, showcased his rich potential with much stiffer opposition in the second set.

Hewitt, boosted by his own strong start to the match, took a 3-1 lead in the second set and had four break points in the next game which he failed to convert.

HELD SERVE

Monfils, who beat former Australian Open runner-up Thomas Enqvist in the opening round, held serve and then broke his opponent to level at 3-3 before taking the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion into a tiebreak.

Hewitt, unusually jittery at times, served nine double faults overall but finally imposed his power and pace to wrap up the match in one hour and 55 minutes.

"He had nothing to lose and for him to have won so many grand slam titles as a junior proves he can handle pressure," said the Australian, who is bidding for his fifth title of the season in Paris.

"He has a lot of talent and he's flashy, like most of the French players," added Hewitt, who has not lost a match indoors this year.

The towering Monfils was making his Masters Series debut after reaching the quarter-finals in his first ATP Tour event last month in Metz.

All four seeds in action on Tuesday reached the third round as Germany's Tommy Haas, the 18th seed, beat Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-1, 7-6 and 11th-seed Andrei Pavel of Romania moved past American Mardy Fish 7-6, 6-4.