NEW YORK: The United States defeated Belarus 5-0 in their Fed Cup World Group-II tie at Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
Serena Williams rallied from a set down to beat Anastasia Yakimova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the day's first singles match to give the Americans an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Her elder sister Venus, playing her first official match since last August, teamed with Liezel Huber for a 6-1, 6-2 doubles victory over Yakimova and Daria Kustova for the final US point, after Christina McHale beat Kustova 6-0, 6-1 in the meaningless fourth singles.
Venus is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, but had not played since pulling out of the US Open, when she announced she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren Syndrome.
Serena, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, had opened her weekend with a victory over Olga Govortsova on Saturday, when McHale beat Yakimova.
Yakimova was a late replacement for Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, whose triumph in Melbourne saw her claim the women's world number one ranking. (AFP)