Worcester: After hitting her first competitive serve in five months just long, Venus Williams relaxed, recoiled and fired off another that was too much for Anastasiya Yakimova.
Williams' comeback was off to a good start that just got better as she teamed with Liezel Huber for a 6-1, 6-2 doubles victory over Yakimova and Darya Kustova that capped a 5-0 Fed Cup shutout for the United States against Belarus on Sunday.
"It was perfect conditions," Williams said.
Williams' US teammates, including younger sister Serena, had already secured the victory and swept through four rounds of singles, relieving any pressure Venus Williams may have felt in her first match since she withdrew after the opening round of the US Open because of an autoimmune disease.
The fatigue and joint pain of Sjogren's Syndrome weren't an issue on Sunday for Williams, who was welcomed onto the court by thousands of cheering fans that stuck around to see her return hours after the Americans had already clinched a victory.
Williams said she felt great and hopes to ride her comeback all the way to the Olympics. She's not sure yet when she'll be up for singles competition, but Sunday certainly felt like she was headed in the right direction.
"I'm not sure what my plans are. For me it's kind of week-by-week and just see what happens. I try not to put pressure on myself," she said.
By blanking Belarus in World Group II, the Americans head to a play-off in April in the hope of playing their way back into the top tier of the Fed Cup, which they were bounced from last year.
"You don't want to be in this group any extra time. It was big to win this one and now we have another task in front of us," US captain Mary Joe Fernandez said.
Serena Williams had already guaranteed a US victory earlier in the day by defeating Yakimova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Serena blew a 4-1 lead in the opening set and slammed her racquet on the court after one point, then returned to form in the next two sets. She didn't allow a point in two straight games of the final set, which she closed with an overhead slam.
"That just goes to show you how frustrated I was out there today. I haven't done that in a match in a long time," she said.
Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the Australian Open champion, sat out all five matches with a back injury.
"I think it's unfortunate that Victoria Azarenka, our No 1, couldn't play. The injury is pretty serious and we didn't want to risk putting her on the court. There was no chance today," Belarus captain Tatiana Poutchek said. "
Venus Williams' win almost overshadowed the team victory, which the US players celebrated with a quick parade around the court with the American flag after Serena Williams' win.
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