Olympic champions Australia staved off a late comeback to beat China 3-2 on the opening night of the four-nations field hockey tournament here on Wednesday. The Australians led 3-0 after 50 minutes, but the Chinese converted two penalty corners within two minutes late in the second half to threaten to equalise. However, despite the late charge Australia maintained their composure in the final minutes to secure victory. In the earlier match, South Korea downed India 5-2.