His attacking style had given Murray problems from the start and, after saving four break points in game two, he broke serve in the following game and moved impressively to 5-2 with six aces and 20 winners.
But 30-year-old Llodra took control at the net to claim the next two sets before two straight aces in the fourth-set tie-breaker helped him put France 2-0 up and loosen Spain's two-year grip on the cup.
The Flushing Meadows crowd had much to cheer about on Louis Armstrong as 19th seed Mardy Fish , a recent finalist at the Cincinnati Masters, fired 14 aces on his way to an impressive 7-5 6-0 6-2 win over Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.