Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich made a triumphant return to the ATP Tour on Wednesday, defeating top-seeds Michal Mertinak and Frantisek Cermak 6-3, 7-6 (7) to advance to the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open.
Jonathan Erlich, right, and...

The Israelis, who last teamed-up on tour in the US Open in August 2008, will next face the Russian duo of Igor Andreev and Mikhail Youzhny.

Ram and Erlich parted ways late last year following the latter's long-term elbow injury. While Ram, aged 29, has done well with different partners, especially Max Mirnyi, Erlich's comeback has not gone as smoothly. The 32-year-old fell all the way down to No. 268 in the world during his absence and subsequent subpar return.

The Israeli duo will play together in one more tournament in the coming weeks in the hope of helping Erlich to pick up some valuable ranking points, before Ram gets back together with Mirnyi ahead of their participation in the World Tour Finals in London next month.

"It seems as though every time I play with Andy our matches get closer," joked Erlich, who also played with his good friend in Israel's last two Davis Cup ties.

"He must think I'm his age and that my heart can take it. It was fun to be back on tour after so long, especially with Andy. The energy levels were excellent and the level of play was very high."