Emma Raducanu put Great Britain on course for victory against Germany, with a straight sets win over Jule Niemeier on Friday night.
Raducanu was returning to the match court for the first time since suffering a foot injury in mid-September. She showed few signs of rust though, and put in a commanding performance, except in the closing stages when Niemeier rallied at 5-2 down.
It took Raducanu six match points to close out the match 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes.
At the end Raducanu was rewarded by the strong contingent of British fans in attendance in Malaga, who sang Happy Birthday in honour of her turning 22 earlier this week.
The win extends Raducanu’s winning run in the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge to three matches, and put her team one point away from a quarter-final match-up against Canada on Sunday.
British No. 1 Katie Boulter now faces top-ranked German Laura Siegemund in the second singles match of the night.