The only consolation for Laurent Bram was that his ordeal was over quickly.

Andy Murray won every set in 16 minutes as he defeated the Luxembourg player -- who is unranked and coaches instead of playing as a professional -- in three sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 at Braehead Arena last night. It is the first time in Murray’s career that he has won without dropping a game, but this Davis Cup contest resembled little more than an exhibition match.

Murray did not need the full range of his repertoire, but there were enough passing shots, drop shots and deft lobs to thrill a crowd that understood there would be no competitive tension. Luxembourg had won the first rubber earlier in the afternoon, when Gilles Muller defeated James Ward in three sets, but what roused the supporters was the chance to laud Murray, who was playing his first match since losing the Wimbledon semi-final to Rafael Nadal.

It was also Murray’s first Davis Cup tie since 2009, and he seemed intent on finishing it brusquely. Some moments were recurring, like Murray bounding out of his seat and back onto court well before time was called by the umpire, then spinning his racket in midair before catching it again, but also the sheer gulf in class with his opponent.

Bram had been able to mingle among the customers at Braehead shopping centre during the week, buying coffee and a cookie with other members of the Luxembourg squad and not attracting attention from passers-by. He lost the first game to love, double-faulted with the first two serves of the next game, and eventually registered only five points in the first set.

Bram was game, in that he never surrendered, but there was a ruthlessness to Murray. If the opponent could not hope to overcome him, Murray set himself a target, of finishing this match as quickly and flawlessly as possible. At 3-0 up in the second set, the ball bounced near the tram line, and although Murray thought it was out, he had time to look incredulously at the line judge before delivering a winner. He then cast a more lingering, baleful stare at the offending individual.

Bram managed six points in the second set, then there were gasps of astonishment as Murray double-faulted twice at the start of the third set. In the end, though, he took care of this assignment as though it was little more than a warm-up session. Afterwards, he shook hands with every member of the British team, waved to the four stands, hurled his wristbands into the crowd, and did a brief interview courtside, in which he thanked the fans, paid tribute to his opponent, then said that he hoped his watching grandpa was pleased, because “he’s a strong critic”. This was a playful Murray, but also a business-like one, who set out to perform as mercilessly as possible.

For Ward, the opening encounter ended with him unable to resist the power and accuracy of Muller’s serve. An ace left the Englishman looking forlorn, and it sealed the third set, and the match, for his opponent. The shot was emphatic, beyond Ward’s reach, and in keeping with the way Muller was able to raise his game to see off the challenge of the British No.2, winning 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 in a little more than two hours.

Ward was briefly resolute in the second set, when he earned one set point on the way to a tie break, but he could not escape the difference in stature between the two, with the Luxembourg player ranked 106 places ahead of him at No.81 in the world.

A tall, rangy player, with a quick, punchy style, Ward initially looked pensive, and was broken in the second game of the first set. His height apart, he seemed diminished in comparison to the broad shoulders and brawn of Muller, who wore a red headband and was unmoved by chants from a group of British supporters who sang, among other things, that he was “from a small town in France”.

More double faults, and a range of unforced errors, in the second set told of the raggedness of Ward’s play, as did the flashes of frustration that emerged when Muller won the sixth game with a forehand that looked wide; Ward smacked his racket off the spot on the court where he felt the ball landed, while the umpire looked on impassively.

But when the 24-year-old was steering his double-handed backhand into the corners of the court, he was occasionally able to be formidable, even if Muller tended to save any pressure points with an aggressive serve. And when Ward eventually broke the Luxembourg player to lead 5-3, he then immediately lost his own service game, conceding three double-faults along the way.

He then earned a set-point at 5-4, but could not pass Muller at the net, his opponent’s serve and volley too rugged. Once into the tie-break, Ward seemed deflated, and could not regather the drive that saw him celebrate winners with a clenched fist and a guttural yell. He played the final set as if in despair, in the knowledge that he had allowed his opportunity to slip away.

analysis It was a mismatch from the outset but the Scottish crowd got the chance to salute home hero on his return to the Davis Cup team, writes Richard Wilson