PARIS, July 17: American tennis slumped to another low point on Sunday when their woefully under-powered team were beaten by Belgium in the Fed Cup semi-finals.

Missing the Williams sisters, as well as Lindsay Davenport, the United States lost 4-1 in Ostend against a Belgian side stripped of triple French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Kim Clijsters, the world number two, steamrolled Vania King 6-0, 6-1 to send the 2001 winners into the final, on September 16-17, where they will face Italy, who reached the title match for the first time with a 3-1 win over Spain in Zaragoza.

The US, who won the last of their 17 Fed Cup titles in 2000, endured a demoralising weekend with their defeat coming hot on the heels of the country's worst Wimbledon showing since 1911.

Belgium went 4-0 up when Mashona Washington was forced to retire with a strained ligament in her right knee midway through the second set against Kirsten Flipkens. Washington was 6-2, 1-3 ahead at the time.

Jill Craybas and Vania King salvaged a little pride for the United States by beating Leslie Butkiewicz and Caroline Maes 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles.

Italy defeated Spain 3-1 and the two countries decided not play the ‘dead’ doubles rubber following Flavia Pennetta's 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Lourdes Dominguez.

Like her compatriot Anabel Medina Garrigues, who lost 6-3, 6-2 to Pennetta on Saturday, Dominguez was unable to return the fire of the world number 18 on clay.

Trailing 2-0 after Saturday's opening singles rubbers, Spain's comeback hopes were increased thanks to Anabel Medina Garrigues's 6-2, 6-2 victory over Francesca Schiavone, but they wilted in the intense heat with Pennetta's victory over Dominguez.

In the World Group play-offs, with the winners guaranteed a place in the elite section next season, there were wins for China, Japan, France and Russia.

China reached the World Group for the first time when they beat Germany 4-1 in Beijing.

Li Na, who became China's first Grand Slam quarter-finalist at Wimbledon this month, beat Kathrin Woerle 7-5, 7-5 to establish an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the play-off.

Tatiana Malek scored a consolation win over Sun Tiantian before Wimbledon doubles champions Zheng Jie and Yan Zi beat Kristina Barrois and Jasmin Woehr in the dead rubber.

The 22nd-ranked Li thanked home supporters after recovering from 0-3 down in the first set and saving two set points in the second against Woerle.

Aiko Nakamura was the heroine for Japan when she beat Austria's Barbara Schwartz 6-2, 7-5 to secure her team's place in the World Group.

Akiko Morigami later beat Nikola Hofmanova 6-2, 6-3, while Ai Sugiyama teamed up with Shinobu Asagoe to complete a 5-0 whitewash 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 against Schwartz and Melanie Klaffner.

Elena Dementieva beat Croatian number one Karolina Sprem 6-1, 6-3 for an unassailable 3-1 lead in Umag which kept Russia in the World Group.

France, without Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, overcame a 1-2 deficit to beat the Czech Republic 3-2 at Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Severine Bremond partnered Tatiana Golovin to a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory against Iveta Benesova and Kveta Peschke in the decisive doubles.

Collated results:

World Group: