Belgium completed a 5-0 sweep against Colombia in a Fed Cup playoff on Sunday.
Yanina Wickmayer cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Yuliana Lizarazo in the reverse singles, while Kirsten Flipkens beat Mariana Duque-Marino 6-4, 6-3.
Caroline Maes and Debbrich Feys then beat Castano and Duque-Marino 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles of the World Group II playoff. Wickmayer beat Duque-Marino and Flipkens defeated Castano on Saturday.
Belgium played without top-ranked Justine Henin, who is skipping this year’s Fed Cup to reduce the burden of the long season.
Belgium won the Fed Cup in 2001 and was runner-up in 2006. But without Henin and the recently retired Kim Clijsters, it had lost every tie since the 2006 final and needed the victory against Colombia to avoid dropping into the Europe/Africa Group for the first time since 1995.
In other playoffs, the Czech Republic won 3-2 at Israel, the series going down to the doubles match.
After Iveta Benesova rallied to beat Shahar Peer 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4 to put the Czechs 2-1 up, Tzipora Obziler beat Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-4 to reply for Israel at Ramat Hasharon.
But Benesova and Kveta Peschke beat Obziler and Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-3 to clinch it for the Czechs.
Argentina won both reverse singles matches to beat Germany in Buenos Aires.
The series was locked at 1-1 after Saturday, but Gisela Dulko beat Martina Muller 6-2, 6-4, and Bettina Jozami defeated Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-1 to give Argentina an unbeatable 3-1 lead.
Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani won for Italy over Ukraine at Olbia.
With the match level at 1-1, Schiavone won 7-5, 6-3 over Alona Bondarenko before Errani topped Katerina Bondarenko 6-3, 6-2.
Ukraine’s Mariya Koryttseva and Tatiana Perebiynis rallied to beat Errani and Karin Knapp 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to make the final score 3-2.
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