First blood to Luxembourg as solid Gilles Muller overcomes James Ward

The 28-year-old, whose world ranking of 81st is more than 100 above his British rival, had to save a set point in the second set, but in general was well within his comfort zone.

Ward, a 24-year-old Londoner who reached the semi-finals at Queen's, made no excuses, pointing out that in his last tie, against Turkey, he had beaten a more highly-ranked player. "I didn't take the chances that I had," he said. "It's tough to take when you have that many chances in the second set and don't take any.

"He serves well on the big points. (But] there was not a significant step up in class (from Turkey] - Marsel Ilhan's ranking is higher than Muller's, and I beat him."

Ward was in trouble from the start of the first set as he was broken in his opening game, Muller having got into his stride immediately to take the opening game comfortably. The Englishman served better for the rest of the set, losing only three points in his three games, but by then the damage was done. Muller, who had registered two aces in the first game, kept up a high standard on his serve for the rest of the set.

Ward had not got a deuce, never mind a break point, against the older man in the first set, but he fared better at the start of the second. Holding easily in the first game, he had a break point in the next, but then sent a smash out with the court wide open.

The British No 2 should have paid for that wastefulness in the next game, but thanks to some similar slackness from Muller he was able to save no fewer than five break points. Four easy holds followed until, in the eighth game, Muller got into trouble with a couple of loose forehands.

Ward seized the chance and broke to go 5-3 up, but he then immediately let his concentration slip. He saved four break points, but was not so fortunate with the fifth - Muller's tenth of the set.

The Luxembourger still had to serve to stay in the set, and had to save a set point before doing so. Ward himself then had to salvage three break points, as the set took on the appearance of a contest neither man quite had the ability to win. If a draw were a permissible way of ending a set, this would have been the ideal candidate to be settled thus. Two unconvincing holds later, though, and we had a tiebreak, in which Muller was never behind and eventually won 7-4.

Ward had thrown almost everything he had into prolonging that set, and in the third he had little left to offer. Muller won the first five games before Ward salvaged a little pride by winning the sixth. That only delayed the end by a couple of minutes, and Muller closed out the match as it entered its third hour.