Opening Solheim Cup foursomes session all-square at 2-2

Europe's bid for an unprecedented third straight Solheim Cup triumph got off to an erratic start as they shared the opening foursomes session with the United States in Germany.

The visitors drew first blood in the top match when Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer cruised to a 3&2 victory over Anna Nordqvist and an out-of-sorts Suzann Pettersen, but Europe hit back with wins for the all-English pairing of Charley Hull and Melissa Reid, while Sandra Gal partnered Catriona Matthew to victory.

Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr were too strong for Azahara Munoz and Karine Icher in the final match of the morning, but it was the form of the experienced Scandinavian pair that would have caused most concern for Europe's captain Carin Koch.

World No 8 Pettersen struggled from the outset, duck-hooking her opening blow after Nordqvist had striped her drive down the middle of the first fairway into thick rough as the first hole went the Americans' way.

Pettersen and Nordqvist pulled back to all-square on the fourth, but they lost four holes out of seven from the seventh before making their only birdie of the round at the 14th.

However, Creamer and Pressel won the next two holes with pars to close out a 3&2 win, giving early justification to Juli Inkster to make Creamer one of her captain's picks despite her poor run of results this year.

Hull ripping it

Reid and Hull got the first blue on the leaderboard with a tense 2&1 win over Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome in a match that Europe never trailed.

Reid holed a good par putt to win the opening hole before giving their advantage away after making a mess of the long sixth, but they birdied the next and retained their slim lead until the American pair levelled the match at 13.

But a par at the next swept Reid and Hull back into the lead, and teenager Hull wrapped up an impressive 2&1 win with a 15-foot putt for birdie at the 17th.

"It felt really good," Hull, 19, told Sky Sports 1. "I was buzzing for that first tee shot and it was good to start and end with a good one. I feel like I am ripping it."

Reid added: "I wanted to play with her in foursomes. I feel like we are a really good team and we enjoyed it."

Gal and Matthew were all square at the turn in their clash with Stacey Lewis and Lizette Salas, but the European pair birdied 10 and 11 and made another at 13 for a half before completing a 3&2 success on the 16th green.

Icher and Munoz got off to an horrendous start against Thompson and Kerr as the Americans raced into a four-hole lead after six, making three birdies in four holes from the third.

To their credit, Icher and Munoz halted the slide for the next six holes and then rallied superbly with three consecutive birdies reducing the deficit to one down with three to play.

But the 16th was halved in pars and the American pair birdied 17 to take the match 2&1.

Live Solheim Cup Golf