Johanna Konta

The two respective British No 1s are expected to comfortably progress to round two despite enduring indifferent clay court seasons.

Murray faces Andrey Kuznetsov, the world No 73, in Paris aiming to reproduce some of the stellar tennis which saw him reach the French Open final 12 months ago where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Konta was leading Sorana Cirstea 6-2 1-2 in the second rubber of the World Group II play-off when Nastase lost control.

As well as abusing umpire Jaume Campistol and tie referee Andreas Egli, Nastase called Konta and Anne Keothavong "f***ing b*****s" before escorted off court and then away from Tenis Club IDU.

The British number one was the better player throughout and held her nerves when she needed to most, breaking Wozniacki to seal the victory with a magnificent lob at the end of a thrilling rally.

Victory gives Konta the most significant trophy of her career. The Premier Mandatory event falls just under the Grand Slams in the season's events and the 1000 points on offer mean the 25-year-old will rise to number seven in Monday's updated world ranking list.

Konta was aged just six when Williams first won this tournament 19 years ago and has cited the seven-time Grand Slam winner as one of her heroes.

But she showed no room for sentiment as her gruelling 6-4 7-5 semi-final win on Thursday night delivered a third successive victory against the American.

It sets up a showpiece meeting with Caroline Wozniacki and gives the British No 1 a chance to win her second title at this level - a 'Premier Mandatory'.

The No 10 seed was pushed all the way by her Belarussian opponent who finally succumbed 6-2 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 after two hours and 40 minutes.

However, it all appeared to be plain sailing for Britain's No 1 when she wrapped up the opening set in just 33 minutes, thanks to two breaks of serve.

In the second, Konta looked in control once again as she moved into a 4-2 lead - and had a point for 5-2 - before the 23-year-old from Minsk staged a brave recovery.

Konta, the British No 1 and 11th seed, moved into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-4 6-4 win on Stadium 1.

Their only previous meeting came four years ago in a second-tier event in Barnstaple which saw Watson retire injured after losing the first four games.

This time it reached a proper conclusion and Konta, ranked 97 places above her opponent, made her quality tell despite some tough moments.