Andy Murray gets Great Britain off to a smooth start against USA in the Davis Cup

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Andy Murray played hardball in the baseball stadium on Friday night, as he got Great Britain off to the smoothest of starts in this intriguing Davis Cup tie.

At Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres, Murray demolished Donald Young of the USA in just 98 minutes: 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Murray had lost to Young before, in one of his spring slumps after the Australian Open, but there was little chance of a repeat here once he had found his feet on a slippery but slow-paced clay court.

The match was competitive for around five minutes, which was about as long as it took Murray to survive a tense opening service game that featured two deuces. After that, he cranked up his forehand and started playing some high-level tennis.

For a man who has never been comfortable on clay courts in the past, it was an encouraging display. Realistically, Great Britain's prospects of winning this tie depend on Murray being able to deliver three points – one of them with the help of Colin Fleming in today's doubles.

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It is thus crucial for Britain's greatest asset to conserve energy over the weekend, and yesterday he was magnificently economical. Young could not handle Murray's accuracy and authority, despite enthusiastic support from the 4,000-odd fans at Petco Park and pep talks from his team captain Jim Courier, whose natty grey suit made him resemble one of the Premier League's more elegant continental managers.

A left-hander ranked No. 79 in the world, Young is perhaps not best suited to playing on a surface as slow as this one. The USA have not hosted a home tie on clay for more than 20 years, but they had hoped to have John Isner – the world No. 13 and a proficient dirtballer – to lead their team.

Unfortunately Isner was ruled out by an ankle injury and they have ended up with Sam Querrey – who was due to face British No. 2 James Ward in the second match yesterday – plus the erratic and unpredictable Young. As a man who likes to come forward, and has more touch in his hands than power in his groundstrokes, Young would surely have preferred a slick hard court.

It is possible that Young could end up playing a decisive anchor leg in this tie on Sunday afternoon, when it will be his turn to face Ward. The Briton is ranked 96 places below him but he will have observed Young's tendency to throw in a duff game amid some bold stroke play. It took the

American until midway through the third set to even earn a break point, and then he was unable to convert.

Despite Murray's fine start, he and the British team have not been delighted with the quality of a court that was laid only a couple of weeks ago. Clay courts normally take at least a year to bed down, so creating one from scratch is never quite the same as going out to play at Monte Carlo or Roland Garros.

The top layer of granules is so loose that the ballboys were struggling to keep their footing. Murray and Young were much steadier, having spent the past week getting the hang of it, and indeed Murray moved – and slid – with impressive control and speed. But he did call the chair umpire, Henrik Molina, down to look at a dicey patch late in the first set.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer's surprise decision to play in Switzerland's first-round tie in Novi Sad, Serbia's second city, was rewarded yesterday with a straight-sets victory over Ilija Bozoljac. The only shame is that he will not be playing Novak Djokovic on Sunday, for the world No. 2 has opted for a skiing trip to his childhood home of Kopaonik instead.

It is not common to see Federer involved in the Davis Cup at this early stage of the season. Normally he leaves his old mate Stan Wawrinka in charge and rides in at the last gasp to head off relegation in the

September play-off. But Wawrinka's recent flowering must have encouraged him to think that Switzerland could lift the Cup this year for the first time in their history.

Andy Murray

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Andy Murray aims to deliver for Great Britain in Davis Cup

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When Andy Murray goes out to face the USA's Donald Young tonight, in the opening rubber of a fascinating Davis Cup tie, he will be playing at the most quintessentially American venue you could imagine: a 40,000-seater baseball ground entitled Petco Park.

Murray – who caused a short-lived media storm on Wednesday with a fake wedding announcement – is often described as left-field, but has never actually played there before. Mind you, the whole experience of contesting a world group match will be a novelty for a British team who have not scored a victory at this elite level for almost 30 years.

Murray's match against Young is due to start at 7pm GMT at this stadium within a stadium. Temporary stands have been set up to the west of the court, reducing capacity to a cosy 8,000, while the east side is overlooked by the soaring bleachers frequented by fans of the San Diego Padres. It might sound like a dog's breakfast, but the US Tennis Association should actually be commended for creating a dramatic and unusual venue.

So what of the tennis? The British team's prospects are certainly stronger than they were 24 hours ago, given that John Isner, the world No 13, has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

"We've got a chance of winning this match even though the US probably go in as strong favourites," said Murray admitted yesterday, after attending the draw ceremony at Balboa Park, adjacent to San Diego's world-famous zoo.

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In all probability, Murray will still have to win both his singles matches – as well as tomorrow's doubles encounter with the world-leading Bryan brothers – if Great Britain are to progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition in April.

On the face of things, though, the absence of Isner would seem to lighten his load. The biggest concern for Britain's team captain Leon Smith was that Murray would become embroiled in a series of exhausting four- or five-set matches – a particular worry in the light of his painstaking return from back surgery in September.

Of course, Murray could still find it difficult against Young – a left-hander ranked No. 79 – in tonight's opening match, especially on the slippery clay court that seems to have been specifically prepared to make him uncomfortable. But at least it is easier to return serve against Young – a relatively diminutive tennis player at under 6ft tall – than it would have been against the 6ft 9in Isner.

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Forecaster Mark Sidaway said: “The rain is a specific concern over the next few days, especially in the South-west, with winds pretty much across the whole country.

“Some of these will be strong, while the rain could bring the problem of flooding in localised areas.” He said some parts of the ­country were already at near-­saturation point with rivers “starting to fill up”. Vantage Weather Services forecaster Jonathan Powell said the extreme conditions were due to low ­pressure systems sweeping into the UK.

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“Sunday could see gusts exceeding 80mph and very heavy rain. We could be looking at the storm of the century.

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