Yoshihito Nishioka and Kei Nishikori led Japan to a comeback victory over Great Britain at the Davis Cup.
The tie was level at 1-1 before Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski put Great Britain in the lead by beating Yosuke Watanuki and Yuzuki Takeru in two tiebreaks.
Backs were against the wall for Japan but the experience of Yoshihito Nishioka and Kei Nishikori paid off as they won their reverse singles in straights.
Nishioka powered past Jacob Fearnley before Nishikori produced a dominant win over Billy Harris to send Japan into the next round.
Speaking after the match captain Go Soeda admitted he is happy with the win but also very tired after a draining weekend, “This is a very happy moment now but I am also very tired,” Soeda told the Davis Cup website.
Meanwhile it was disappointment for a British team that were without Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie in Japan.
Captain Leon Smith spoke about his pride in the players despite defeat, “Losing is difficult, but I can’t fault the efforts of the players here,” Smith explained to the Davis Cup website.
“They gave everything. You win some, you lose some. Japan played very well and I wish them all the best.”
Japan will now bid to make the final stages of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2019 when they take on Germany in September.
Meanwhile Great Britain will now compete in World Group I in September as they look to reach the 2026 qualifiers.
