Ben Perrins:, external Great start for Great Britain, encouraging signs and hopefully can continue this form over the weekend.

Jaz Gullett:, external Superb, Andy! I'm loving my Friday night.

Erika Dallimore:, external Smooth, Andy. Very smooth.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Murray: "It's important to get off to a good start. I obviously went in as favourite and Sam does in the second match, so it puts the pressure on Sam to play a good match and James can hopefully go in a little bit freer. The court is still pretty slippy but it's been raining, it's colder, there's a lot of cloud cover, so the court's obviously going to play a bit slower. The conditions being like this helped.

"We'll have to see about the doubles. I'll speak to the captain and the rest of the team and see what the best way forward is. A little bit depends on the next match too."

Ross Hutchins
British doubles player on BBC TV

"What a start for Great Britain and for Andy Murray. It went exactly to the plan Leon Smith would have wanted. Murray played a superb clay-court tennis match, constructed the points and moved well. When the rallies are extended he controls the middle of the court, and when defending he moves well. He really did play exceptionally well today. The physios will now work hard for a couple of hours tonight."

John Lloyd
Former British number one on BBC TV

"If you look ahead to a potentially decisive fifth rubber, this certainly will have knocked a bit of the stuffing out of Donald Young."

Murray wrong-foots his man to get to 15-30 and then puts away a forehand return winner for two match points.... and a backhand return does the job after one hour and 38 minutes. USA 0-1 Great Britain.

Murray gets a huge roar from the crowd with a stunning forehand cross-court winner on the first point, and moves to 0-30 when Young cracks first in a long rally. The American steps out wide and cracks a forehand winner, but Murray responds with two of his own and it's "Game... Great Britain."

Young hangs on in the face of more break points. The absence of the injured American number one, John Isner, was always likely to throw this tie wide open and Murray is closing in on a very swift victory that should leave him fresh enough to play in the doubles on Saturday. Had he been up against Sam Querrey today, the Wimbledon champion might well have been extended further.

Young has a spring in his step after confirming a mark that gives him his first two break points of the match.... an ace from Murray on the first, but the Scot looks sure to lose the second only to find a half-volley backhand lob that drops smack on the baseline. That will be the best shot of this tie, surely. Murray comes through after a couple of deuces.

Murray creates a wickedly sharp angle on a forehand before scooping over an improvised backhand pass - "the take-back was an inch and the follow-through was an inch," says Ross Hutchins on BBC3. Deuce, and Murray gets the benefit of a clip off the tape for break point... which Young saves with a volley that finds the line. It ends up being a good hold for the American and he deservedly gets a few toots from the brass band, which reminds me a bit of the carnival scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. A bit.

Murray gets himself in all sorts of bother at 40-0 and ends up flipping a forehand in the air for Young to put away. It does not signal a change in momentum, as Murray takes the game to 15, and some local children look on forlornly from the stands, inflatable clapper things resting limply by their sides. So it's not all bad news.

The Young revival, such as it was, lasts about a game and a half. Murray keeps the pressure on with some deep returns and gets himself another two break points at 15-40... Young saves the first with a forehand winner but nets on the second.

Image source, Getty Images

Young gets the crowd going with a rocket of a forehand return for 0-15, but Murray responds with a couple of winners of his own and snuffs out the dangers. If live video, radio and text is not enough for you, have a look at the latest pictures from San Diego in our Facebook gallery., external

A quick bathroom break serves Young well and he kicks off the third set with a good hold to 15, takes a glug of water, gets the latest Courier pep talk and lines up for a crack at Murray's serve.

And Murray closes out the set with no trouble whatsoever after just 57 minutes - 17 winners and 11 errors from Murray, 12 winners and 37 errors from Young.

Things are getting a bit ridiculous when Murray starts playing left-handed, flipping his racquet between hands to retrieve a smash in the best tradition of Ronnie O'Sullivan. Hopefully Murray won't go the whole hog and fall out of love with the game in his post-match press conference before taking a sabbatical. A decent hold from Young, and he gets sympathetic backing from his home fans. It can't be much fun out there right now.

Murray's flow is temporarily interrupted by a trip down from the chair for the umpire to check a mark, which is more resistance than Young can summon up right now. A devilish slice wins Murray the game and has Young swiping at air.

Jack Johnson:, external It still baffles me that the USA chose to play this tie on clay.

Andrew James:, external It's just like speedway temporary surfaces take a couple of attempts to get it exactly right.

Young saves one break point but then skips around his backhand to set up a drive volley... which he wallops into the net. That's four breaks now for Murray.

Ross Hutchins on BBC 3
British doubles player on BBC TV

"Murray trained on clay when he was 15, 16 in Barcelona. It's all about patience on a clay court and he really learnt that a few years ago working with Alex Corretja."

"Yeah!" shouts someone in the crowd as Young smashes away a lob to get to deuce. Murray swats away the slightest sniff of danger with a forehand winner, before Young belts one way over the baseline. Courier is up on his feet for a brief word to his man. Hard to think what that word might be.