Kei Nishikori looks to clinch a Davis Cup World Group place for Japan when he takes on Somdev Devvarman in the first of Sunday's reverse singles.
Japan made a stunning start to the tie, taking a 2-0 lead on day one as Nishikori gained revenge for his 2008 loss against Rohan Bopanna and Yuichi Sugita stunned Somdev Devvarman. India pulled a point back as the top ten pairing of Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi took a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) but they were still made to work much harder than expected, something Japanese captain Eiji Takeuchi noted.
"I think my players did well today against two top 10 players," he said. "I was very pleased with their effort. They have only played doubles together for two weeks. The result was not a victory, but I am very satisfied. I keep telling them that they have to believe in themselves. I tell them you have to fight 100 percent and play big in the important matches."
Unfortunately for India there is still some doubt over whether Devvarman can take to the court on Sunday. He's struggling with a shoulder injury and had it examined at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday.
Either way Nishikori will be strong favourite and expect him to take victory in straight sets.
