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.
?
(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2007)