JAPAN 3, CHINA 2
Venue: Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Tennis Center, Guangzhou, China
Surface: Hard, Outdoors
Japan booked its place at the 2019 Davis Cup Finals in dramatic fashion on Saturday, recovering from 1-2 down to claim victory against China in Guangzhou. Having split the opening singles rubbers, Mao-Xin Gong and Ze Zhang earned China a 2-1 lead with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 win over Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama, as the host nation aimed to defeat Japan for just the second time in 10 Davis Cup ties. But Yoshihito Nishioka forced the meeting into a decisive fifth rubber after cruising past Yibing Wu 6-2, 6-0.
“Before going onto the court, I was so nervous because if I lost, we lost,” Nishioka told DavisCup.com. “It is the first time I have been in that situation. [Wu] is talented but I knew he would be feeling the pressure. So, from the beginning, I was trying so hard. He missed some easy shots and I was able to play the way I wanted to play.”
With a spot in Madrid on the line, Taro Daniel edged Zhe Li 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 in two hours and 44 minutes. Daniel, who defeated Zhang on Friday, converted seven of 16 break points to record his second victory of the tie.
AUSTRALIA 4, BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA 0
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, Australia
Surface: Hard, Outdoors
Australia backed up its opening singles rubber victories, sweeping past Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-0 in Adelaide. John Peers and Jordan Thompson defeated Mirza Basic and Tomislav Brkic 7-5, 6-1 to claim an unassailable 3-0 lead, before Davis Cup debutant Alexei Popyrin notched his first victory in the team competition, beating Nerman Fatic 6-1, 7-6(2) in 61 minutes.
SERBIA 3, UZBEKISTAN 2
Venue: Saxovat Sport Servis Sport Complex, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Surface: Hard, Indoors
Serbia held off a strong comeback attempt from Uzbekistan to guarantee its place in Madrid. In front of home fans in Tashkent, Uzbekistan rallied from a 0-2 deficit to level the tie at 2-2, before Serbia earned a 3-2 victory. Sanjar Fayziev and Denis Istomin recovered from a set down to beat Nikola Milojevic and Viktor Troicki 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, before Istomin defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 to force a decisive fifth rubber. Filip Krajinovic was then forced to rally from a set down to beat Fayziev 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and clinch victory for Serbia.
ITALY 3, INDIA 1
Venue: Calcutta South Club, Kolkata, India
Surface: Grass, Outdoors
Andreas Seppi booked Italy’s place in Madrid, beating Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-1, 6-4 to seal a 3-1 win in Kolkata. After establishing a 2-0 lead on Friday, Italy was forced into a fourth rubber following Pune champions Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Matteo Berrettini and Simone Bolelli. But Seppi held his nerve, dropping just three points behind his first serve (25/28) en route to victory to earn qualification for the visiting nation.
KAZAKHSTAN 3, PORTUGAL 1
Venue: National Tennis Center, Astana, Kazakhstan
Surface: Hard, Indoors
Kazakhstan will also be present in the Spanish capital, following Mikhail Kukushkin’s 6-4, 6-1 win over Joao Sousa. Having lost both opening singles rubbers, Portugal forced the tie into a fourth rubber after Gastao Elias and Sousa defeated Timur Khabibulin and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. But Kukushkin found his best level in front of home fans in Astana, breaking Sousa on five occasions to settle the tie.
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Source: ATP World Tour
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