Mauresmo gave France the perfect start in Moscow

Mauresmo swept aside Lisa Raymond 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 16 minutes to put France in the driving seat as they chase a second Fed Cup crown.

Pierce faced a tough battle from the baseline with Meghann Shaughnessy but held on to win 6-3 3-6 8-6.

The reverse singles and doubles take place in Moscow on Sunday.

World number four Mauresmo, the top-ranked player in the tournament, showed the kind of form which saw her win in Philadelphia, and reach the finals in Moscow and Los Angeles.

Today both matches were very hard, so we still have to fight for our victory Guy Forget France captain

But she was pushed all the way by 28th-ranked Raymond, who broke to lead 3-1 before the Frenchwoman broke back immediately to begin a run of five games.

"I served pretty good and didn't give her many chances," said Mauresmo.

"I didn't play a great match, but I won a point for France and that is the most important thing."

Despite the 2-0 lead France captain Guy Forget warned against complacency.

"After beating the Russians, everyone, even our own French supporters, were saying it's going to be easy, the hardest part is done," he said.