Surgery, finding her range again in Fed Cup and on the ITF Circuit - it was all worth it. Elena Baltacha made a winning return to WTA-level competition at the Brussels Open on Monday.

Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur were among several teams advancing in lopsided fashion at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

Kristina Mladenovic and Galina Voskoboeva beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, while Sílvia Soler-Espinosa and Carla Suárez Navarro upset Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in Madrid.