Elena Dementieva brought Russia level at 1-1 in their Fed Cup Group One first-round tie against Italy. The defending champions suffered a poor start when Dinara Safina lost to Francesca Schiavone but Dementieva beat Tathiana Garbin to level matters.
Meanwhile, France fought back to level their match against Austria at 1-1 and Spain secured two narrow wins to take a 2-0 lead against Argentina.
And the United states took a 2-0 lead against a weakened Belgian team.
Dementieva, playing in the event for the first time since 2003, admitted her victory was far from comfortable.
"This match was not so simple," said the world number five, who won eight out of 11 break points.
"I made some mistakes. This is only my fourth day playing on clay and my first match on this surface this season."
Defending champions Russia are without French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Surprise
In Vienna, France's Virginie Razzano, filling in for the injured Amelie Mauresmo, defeated 14-year-old Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-3 to level the match against Austria at 1-1.
Earlier Yvonne Meusburger had given Austria a surprise lead in the first-round World Group encounter when she defeated Nathalie Dechy in straight sets.
In Barcelona, Spain took a 2-0 lead as Fed Cup debutant Nuria Llagostera and Spanish number one Anabel Medina-Garrigues both won.
Llagostera edged to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Argentine number one Gisela Dulko, while Medina-Garrigues beat Maria-Emilia Salerni with an identical scoreline.
America took a 2-0 lead against Belgium as world number one Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams both claimed easy wins.
In the first match Davenport won 28 of the first 33 points as she swept to a 6-0 6-2 victory in just 39 minutes.
Williams then followed suit as she breezed past Els Callens 6-2 6-2.
The Belgians are without their top two players, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters.
MMIX
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