Following James Ward loss to Gilles Simon earlier in the day, this match was a must-win for Andy Murray.

For whatever reason French Davis Cup captain Arnaud Clément decided to sit recent Wimbledon semifinalist Richard Gasquet for day 1, and after two tight sets, Murray beat Tsonga quite comfortably 7-5 7-6(10) 6-2 and drew level with France at 1-1.

Andy Murray:

The crowd was great, especially at the important moments. I was happy with the job that I did today. I don’t feel like I played amazing, but I played some good shots at important times

Saturday’s doubles rubber will be crucial: Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray will take on Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Mahut.

Photo credit: Dave Chamberlain, Marianne Bevis