Andy Murray and Heather Watson played their matches today in the first round of the Hopman Cup in Perth. The GB team beat France's Benoit Paire and Alize Cornet. GB and France, together with Australia and Poland are in Group B of the Cup. Group A is represented by teams from Canada, Italy, Czech Republic and the USA.

The Hopman Cup, an annual indoor hardcourt tennis tournament played by mixed gender teams on a country by country basis, was named in honour of Harry Hopman, an Australian player and coach who won the country 15 Davis Cup titles.

The competition has been formatted in a way that every competitor will play at least three matches as an overture of the Australian Open in Melbourne. This year the Australian Open starts on the 19th January.

Andy Murray arrived to Perth yesterday, after winning an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in which the World number one, Novak Djokovic, was unable to play because he was feeling unwell. The Scotsman made a winning start to his Australian series campaign in Perth by defeating Paire 6-2, 7-5.

The ladies match was played in between Heather Watson and Alize Cornet and it was Cornet who won comfortably 6-2, 6-2.

A thrilling mixed doubles match, the decider, was won by Murray and Watson 6-4, 2-6, 10-8.

Murrey and Watson are through to the second round - they will be playing Poland on Wednesday, followed by Australia on Friday. Saturday's final will be played by the group winners.

As for Group A, the USA played Italy and won 3-0 in theirs first round matches.

Women's World number one, Serena Williams, defeated Italy's Flavia Pennetta who played outstanding tennis in the first set; Williams lost her opening set 0-6 but came back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-0.

In the men's match USA's John Isner beat Italy's Fabio Fognini 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4). This was followed by the mixed doubles match where Williams/Isner defeated Pennetta/Fognini 6-2, 2-6, 11-9.

The first round matches were played in sweltering conditions which peaked at a staggering 44 C.