Japan fought back to overcome Great Britain 3-2 in the qualifying round of the Davis Cup.
After the singles matches ended 1-1 at Miki ended last Friday, Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury won the doubles to give Great Britain a 2-1 lead. However, Yoshihito Nishioka levelled the tie by defeating Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 7-6 (7/0).
Then Kei Nishikori, the former world No. 4, crushed Billy Harris 6-2, 6-2 in the final rubber, sealing Japan’s place in the second qualifying round in September.
After this defeat, Great Britain will face a relegation play-off, which they must win to retain their place in the top world group next season.
British caption Leon Smith admitted: “Losing is difficult but I can’t fault the efforts of the players here. They gave everything. You win some, you lose some.”
Davis Cup updates
Germany will face Japan in the next round after securing a 3-1 win over Israel, with last year’s ATP Tour doubles champions, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz, sealing the victory for the Germans.
Serbia, competing without injured Novak Djokovic, needed just one point to win against Denmark in Copenhagen last Saturday. However, Denmark mounted a comeback to secure a 3-2 win.
Australia won against Sweden in Stockholm, with Olympic gold medalists Matthew Ebden and John Peers winning the doubles to secure their first home tie since March 2022.
In other matches, the United States cruised to a 4-0 victory over Taiwan. The Czech Republic also prevailed 4-0 over South Korea.
Austria similarly crushed Finland 4-0, and Croatia won with ease against Slovakia.
Pedro Martinez and Roberto Carballes Baena helped Spain take a 2-0 lead over Switzerland in Biel, even without top player Carlos Alcaraz.
Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils secured victories to give France the upper hand in their tie against Brazil in Orleans.
Jannik Sinner’s homeland, Italy, are aiming to extend their dominance after winning the event in Spain in 2023 and the previous year. As the defending champions, Italy earned a direct spot in the final, which will be held at Bologna in November.
The 13 winning teams from the first qualifying rounds will battle for a place in the eight-team finals, joining Italy in the final stage of the competition.