PORTOROZ, April 24: Venus Williams overwhelmed Katarina Srebotnik 6-1 6-2 to put the United States level 1-1 with Slovenia in their Fed Cup World Group first round tie on Saturday.
Earlier, Slovenia's Tina Pisnik beat Lisa Raymond 7-5 7-5 to give the hosts a surprise 1-0 lead.
Srebotnik went 2-1 up in the second set against Williams but after a medical break for attention to a strained thigh muscle failed to win another game.
In the opening match, Raymond came back from 3-0 down in the first set and from 3-1 down in the second before Pisnik sealed victory with a break of serve in the 24th game.
Former world number one Williams meets Pisnik in Sunday's opening match, while Srebotnik plays Raymond. Martina Navratilova, 47, will partner Raymond in the doubles against Srebotnik and Tina Krizan.
The United States, strong favourites to beat Slovenia, have won the Fed Cup a record 17 times but not since 2000.
BELGIUM'S WINNING START
BRUSSELS: Kim Clijsters got Belgium off to a winning start in their Fed Cup World Group first round match against Croatia in Bree on Saturday, beating Jelena Kostanic 6-1 4-6 6-1.
It was the first time Clijsters has played for nearly six weeks because of a wrist injury and she wore a special brace.
She told Belgian TV: "I have been practising hard lately, but nothing replaces matches, of course. I knew my game would not be perfect and it was not."
Her younger sister Elke Clijsters is due to team up with Els Callens for the doubles.
Russia too good
MOSCOW: Australia found there was no Fed Cup miracle on Saturday as they quickly slipped 2-0 down to Russia in a World Group first round tie.
Anastasia Myskina gave Russia a 1-0 lead with a straight sets 6-4, 6-1 victory over Samantha Stosur.
Stosur rallied from a break down to level at 4-4 in the opening set, but the Russian No.1 was too powerful for the 20-year-old from Brisbane running out a comfortable winner.
In the second rubber Australia No.1 Alicia Molik battled hard for nearly two hours against Svetlana Kuznetsova who is in the Russian team in place of the injured Nadia Petrova.
But after rallying strongly in the second set she eventually went down 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
That left Australia 0-2 down and needing to win both the reverse singles on Sunday as well as the doubles to go through to the next round.
France'S PERFECT START
AMIENS (France): Holders France made a perfect start in their Fed Cup first-round tie against Germany when Nathalie Dechy and Amelie Mauresmo won Saturday's singles.
Dechy rallied from a set down to beat Anna Lena Groenefeld 6-7 6-1 6-4, while Mauresmo crushed veteran Barbara Rittner 6-1 6-2.
By contrast, Dechy, ranked 25th in the world, needed two and a half hours to dismiss her young opponent, last year's French Open junior champion.
Results: Nathalie Dechy bt Anna Lena Groenefeld 6-7 (1-7) 6-1 6-4; Amelie Mauresmo bt Barbara Rittner 6-1 6-2
Argentina ahead
BUENOS AIRES: Results here on Saturday in the first round of the Fed Cup between Argentina and Japan:
