Title-holders the Czech Republic established an iron grip on their Davis Cup quarter-final tennis tie against a weakened Japan on Friday, with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol battling for wins in front of a buzzing Tokyo crowd.
Despite missing world No 5 Tomas Berdych, the Czechs had expected to dominate a Japan side shorn of talisman Kei Nishikori through injury. Despite a scare Stepanek beat Tatsuma Ito 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the opening rubber but Rosol toiled to overcome Nishikori’s replacement Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 as the visitors closed in on a semi-final clash with Germany or France in September.
“I’m very happy to be at 2-0,” said Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil. “They had nothing to lose and in the end of both matches, we were a little bit lucky.”
Japan’s hopes of toppling the two-time defending champions were severely jolted by Nishikori’s withdrawal and further complicated after Go Soeda came down with a fever on the eve of the tie.
Stepanek still had to draw on all of his experience, with the former world number eight saving a point to avoid going two sets down with a superb lunging volley before ending Ito’s resistance.
Ito, ranked 146th in the world to Stepanek’s 47, won their only previous encounter on clay in Germany two years ago but an upset stomach undid his strong start on the Tokyo hard courts.