China beat hosts Belgium on Sunday in a crucial tennis Fed Cup World Group playoff tie and earned the right to stay at the elite eight-member World Group.

Thanks to victories by Sun Tiantian and Yan Zi in the two singles matches, China achieved an irreversible 3-1 advantage in the first four rubbers.

Both sides were on level after taking one singles match apiece on Saturday.

On Sunday, playing on red clay in the Knokke Zoute Tennis Club, Knokke Heist, China's Athens Olympic doubles Champion Sun Tiantian gave China a 2-1 advantage after scoring a straight-sets (6-4, 6-3) victory over Belgium's No. 1, Yanina Wickmayer.

Sun, ranked 124 the highest among the players at the weekend, proved to be the best player in the tie, winning both of her matches.

In the second match, Belgium replaced Debbrich Feys with 14-year-old Tamaryn Hendler to face China's doubles specialist YanZi.

Yan won the first set 7-6(3), but easily lost the second set 2-6 after being broken twice. In the third set, Yan broke Hendler twice early on and raced to a 3-0 lead, but was forced to 4-4 by her younger opponent. Yan achieved the crucial break in the 13th game and won the set 8-6, eventually edging the stubborn Hendler.

Both teams were without their best players, and could only field relatively inexperienced squads. China was without its first three singles players -- Li Na, Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai, while Belgium's world No. 1 Justine Henin also skipped the event.
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(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2007)