Bernard Tomic gave Australia a valuable early edge in the must-win Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan with a tough straight sets win over big-serving Farrukh Dustov on Friday.

Tomic triumphed 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 on Namangan’s Pahlavon Sport Complex clay court in a welcome Cup return after patching up his relationship with captain Pat Rafter.

The 20-year-old had to fight hard against the 216th-ranked, 196cm Dustov but, after fighting back from an early break, his class shone through.

Australia lead the best-of-five tie 1-0, with the winner progressing to the World Group playoffs in September.

Marinko Matosevic was facing Uzbek No.1 Denis Istomin later on Friday, with Rafter opting against selecting regular spearhead Lleyton Hewitt for the opening day singles.

Having been dropped for the last tie against Taiwan due to attitude problems, Rafter had challenged Tomic to prove his commitment to Australia’s cause through his on-court attitude in Namangan.

And the former US Open winner would have been delighted with what he saw in the first set.

Despite taking issue with some early calls and trailing 5-3, Tomic remained focused, clawing back on level terms and prevailing in a tense tiebreak.

He broke Dustov’s serve in the opening game of the second set and kept him at bay with some solid service to go two sets up.

The pair traded breaks for much of the third set but Tomic remained in control to improve his Davis Cup singles win-loss record to an impressive 9-2.

It gave Australia a valuable buffer, in a tie which has already presented its challenges due to a brutal travel schedule and tough local conditions.

Uzbekistan are unbeaten in six Davis Cup ties in the remote, north-eastern city.

Hewitt will team up with Matt Ebden for the doubles on Saturday.