Murray Gives Great Britain Early Lead

GREAT BRITAIN 1, JAPAN 0
Venue: Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, GBR (hard – indoor)

World No. 2 Andy Murray, who is playing for the first time since his runner-up finish at the Australian Open, recorded his 28th match win for defending champion Great Britain with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Japan’s Taro Daniel in 90 minutes.

“The second set was tough – a lot of close games and some tough points, which was good for me,” said Murray. “I was getting a little out of breath but I played a good match, served well, missed a few second serves but the first serve went extremely well, so it was a nice start.”

World No. 6 Kei Nishikori will now look to level the tie against Great Britain’s Daniel Evans.

SERBIA 1, KAZAKHSTAN 0
Venue: Pionir Hall, Belgrade, SRB (hard – indoor)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic extended his Davis Cup winning streak to 10 matches by giving 2010 champion Serbia the advantage with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Aleksandr Nedovyesov in one hour and 53 minutes.

Viktor Troicki will now look to hand Serbia a 2-0 lead against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in the second singles rubber.