Chang knocks off top-seed Stosur to advance to Japan Women's Open final

OSAKA — Unseeded Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan upset Australian No.1 seed Samantha Stosur 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) to reach the final of the Japan Women's Open on Saturday.

Chang was two points from defeat, serving 5-6 and deuce in the third set. But she won eight of the next 10 points to win that game and take control of the tiebreaker at Utsubo Tennis Center.

Chang reached her first WTA Tour final as did her opponent for Sunday, Britain's Heather Watson. Watson beat southpaw Misaki Doi 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 in a tight semifinal.

Before this week, Watson's best WTA results were three quarterfinals, all last year, at international-level events in Auckland, Memphis and Quebec City.

Like Watson, Chang's best WTA results before this week were three quarterfinals — Kuala Lumpur and Osaka in 2010 and Birmingham this year.

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Kagawa strikes as Japan notches first win ever over France

PARIS — Shinji Kagawa struck in the dying minutes as Japan defeated France for the first time 1-0 at the Stade de France on Friday night.

In the 88th minute on a counterattack led by Yasuyuki Konno, Manchester United midfielder Kagawa finished off a cross by Yuto Nagatomo to give Japan its first win against Les Bleus in six meetings.

Previously, Japan had lost four and drawn once to France. The two teams last played at the 2003 Confederations Cup where the French won 2-1.

"It was a team effort," Kagawa said. "I just happened to be the one who scored from a great counter made by the entire team."

Kagawa, though, said Japan still has a lot of catching up to do with the elite in world soccer.

The Asian champions had a quiet first half and had it not been for another outstanding performance in goal by Eiji Kawashima, could have been embarrassed by the hosts, who only played Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema for the first half and Bayern Munich's majestic Franck Ribery the last 20 minutes.

Alberto Zaccheroni's side next plays Brazil — another team Japan has yet to beat — on Tuesday in Wroclaw, Poland, to wrap up its European tour.

"We've got to do much better," Kagawa said. "Every player on the team has to play with more confidence. They could have had us because there were moments when we were completely exposed."

"(Brazil) are a more technical side than the team we played today. But I think we can be encouraged by the fact that our defense didn't concede, even though we were on our heels for large parts of the game."

Japan fought an uphill battle with Keisuke Honda, nursing a bruised right calf, on the bench and first-choice striker Ryoichi Maeda having been shipped home earlier in the week also with injury.

"It's a very good result," Zaccheroni said. "We were a bit shy in the first half but I thought we came out of our shell in the second.

"We moved the ball around well, found space and had some good moments."

LONDON — World and European champion Spain romped to a 24th straight qualifying win on Friday, although no one in the country was able to see it.

Pedro Rodriguez scored a hat trick as the world's best team routed host Belarus 4-0 in one of a group of big wins for Europe's leading nations in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Yet celebrations were muted in the debt-ridden country after no broadcaster paid to televise the national team's match for the first time in 29 years.

Spain's wasn't the most convincing win of the third round of regional qualifiers, with Germany handing Ireland its worst loss since 1971, 6-1 at Dublin.

Wayne Rooney celebrated being handed the temporary England captaincy by scoring twice in a routine 5-0 win over San Marino, taking his goal total in international matches to 31, fifth on the country's all-time list.

But Italy was again unconvincing in beating Armenia 3-1, and the Netherlands managed only a comfortable 3-0 win over Andorra, which is 201st in the rankings.

However, Euro 2012 semifinalist Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, couldn't make the most of its dominance against Russia and lost 1-0 in a match between the top two teams in Group F.

Belgium enhanced its burgeoning reputation as a growing force in Europe with a 3-0 win in Serbia.

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Hiratsuka holds three-stroke lead in Japan Open

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. — Tetsuji Hiratsuka shot a 70 Friday to establish a three-shot advantage at the midway point of the Japan Open, the third major of the season on the JGTO Tour.

Hiratsuka, one of only three players to go under par in the second round on another blustery day at the par-71 Naha Golf Club, made six birdies against five bogeys to close at 1-over 143.

The 40-year-old Hiratsuka, who claimed his most recent victory at the 2011 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, moved three clear of Komei Oda.

"I didn't play particularly well, but the shots that made the fairway led to the chances that just happened to go in the cup for me," said Hiratsuka, a six-time winner on the tour.

"It was still really windy around the halfway point. I thought it had died down after around three holes after the turn but the wind and the rain came. I am not used to the wind and I just took a very conservative approach and tried to avoid double bogeys."

Oda picked up one shot through 10 holes but unraveled with three bogeys coming home and had a 2-over 73.

Local favorite Yusaku Miyazato matched the day's low score of 69 and was tied with 57-year-old Tsuneyuki Nakajima (74), current money rankings leader Hiroyuki Fujita (73), Kenichi Kuboya (73) and overnight coleader Nobuhito Sato (75).

China's Wu Ashun and Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines were tied for eighth at 6 over.

Last week's Canon Open winner Yuta Ikeda shared 16th place at 8 over after a 72. Promising amateur Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa were at 11 and 12 over, respectively, but Shingo Katayama and old-timers Isao Aoki and Jumbo Ozaki missed the cut.

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Raonic stuns Murray in Japan Open semis; Nishikori prevails

Milos Raonic of Canada outsted top-seeded Andy Murray to move into the final of the Japan Open, edging the defending champion 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4) on Saturday.

One more to go: Kei Nishikori lifts his arms in triumph after beating Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Japan Open on Saturday. AP

Raonic, seeded sixth and ranked 15th, will meet Kei Nishikori in Sunday's final after he routed unseeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-2, 6-2 in just over one hour.

Nishikori, ranked 17th, defeated Baghdatis for the first time after having lost three previous matches to the Cypriot.

Nishikori and Raonic will play for the first time in the final, with the Japanese seeking his first title of the season.

Nishikori is the first Japanese to advance to the final since the event was sanctioned by the ATP in 1973.

"I can't believe it, to be honest," said Nishikori, who lost in the first round the last two years. "I haven't had great results here and I was struggling up until now."

"Playing in Japan means a lot to me. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my career. Winning a title in Japan has always been a career goal of mine."

Eighth seed Nishikori was in control from start to finish on this day.

He broke Baghdatis, once ranked eighth in the world, in the third game to take a 2-1 lead and won another break point at 5-2 to win the first set.

In the second set, Nishikori jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back to move into his first final of the year. Nishikori said his returns will be key against Raonic, who he will play for the first time.

"I think he has the best serve on the tour," Nishikori said. "Murray has the best return on the tour, but even he still won only 18 percent of points on the first serve."

Playing under a blazing sun at Ariake Colosseum, the big-hitting Raonic broke Murray in the opening game of the match, then used his strong serve and powerful forehand to go up 5-3, before breaking again to claim the set 6-3.

The Olympic champion looked sluggish from the outset and had to save two break points to hold serve for 1-1 in the second set.

After Raonic held to go up 3-2, a frustrated Murray broke his racket by smashing it on the court.

The were no breaks of serve in the second set, and the contest proceeded to a tiebreak, where Raonic misplayed a volley to give Murray a 6-5 lead and then couldn't handle a Murray forehand that gave him the tiebreak 7-5, squaring the contest.

Murray turned the tide in his favor in the third set by breaking Raonic with a sublime backhand down the line to move ahead 3-1. Murray made it 4-1 on serve and looked to be in control, only to see Raonic break back for 4-3 and then hold for 4-4.

Murray held to go up 5-4 and then had two match points on Raonic's served in the 10th game, but could not capitalize as the Canadian held to send it to another tiebreak.

Raonic took control in the tiebreak and finished it 7-5.

"Live and die by the serve. I'm not afraid to go for it on my second serve. I know what I am capable of," Raonic said.

Murray and Raonic had split their two previous career meetings, both this year. Raonic beat Murray on clay at the Barcelona Open, while Murray knocked Raonic out of the U.S. Open in the fourth round.

"The first set was poor from my side," said Murray. "I played better in the second and third sets, but it was a disappointment not to close out the match. It came down to one or two points in the end."

BEIJING — Zhang Ze said he took inspiration from Grand Slam-winner Li Na after a record-breaking run which raised hopes that China's struggling men could finally emerge from the shadows of their female tennis stars.

In control: Kei Nishikori plays a return against Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in Saturday's Japan Open semifinals. Nishikori won 6-2, 6-2. KYODO

The world No. 165 made history this week when he became the first Chinese man ever to beat a top-20 player, with a three-set win over Richard Gasquet that put him into the quarterfinals of the China Open.

His defeat of the Frenchman, ranked 14th, also meant China's top player has gotten further in an ATP tournament than any other Chinese man in 17 years, after Pan Bing made the Seoul semifinals in 1995.

After his campaign was halted by Florian Mayer on Friday, the 22-year-old right-hander from Nanjing was quick to name 2011 French Open champion Li, Asia's only singles Grand Slam winner, as his guiding light.

"Li Na is our example, as a role (model)," he said, adding that his next goal was to become the first Chinese man to break into the top 100.

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Nishikori advances to Japan Open quarterfinals

Kei Nishikori battled from a set down to defeat Spain's Tommy Robredo on Thursday and book a quarterfinal meeting with second seed and 2008 champion Tomas Berdych at the Japan Open.

Staying aggressive: Kei Nishikori plays a return against Tommy Robredo in the Japan Open on Thursday in Tokyo. Nishikori, the eighth seed, beat the Spaniard 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals. KYODO

Eighth-seeded Nishikori, who made his first semifinal finish of the season in Malaysia last weekend, prevailed 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 in front of a partisan home crowd to reach the last eight for the first time in five attempts.

Nishikori, who has fallen in the first round the past two years here, dropped his serve in the opening game and failed to capitalize on a number of chances, allowing unseeded Robredo to break again in the 11th game before holding on to take the first set at Ariake Colosseum.

But the 22-year-old stormed back, racing to a 3-0 lead and acing out to take the second set, before going on to complete victory in a little under two hours on center court.

"I am seeded in this tournament, so I am expected to come this far anyway, but I'm happy and relieved that I have got through to the next round. I am looking forward to doing better," said Nishikori.

Nishikori said defense will be the key against Berdych, who he holds a 2-1 record against but lost to in their most recent meeting in Monte Carlo.

"His play suits this surface and he has won this tournament before. He serves well and has got a flat, very effective forehand. Defense will be the key and I can't allow Berdych to find his rhythm because that would be very difficult to break."

Earlier, world No. 6 Berdych captured his 50th ATP Tour victory of the season in 80 minutes on a warm afternoon, beating Colombian Alejandro Falla 6-3, 7-5.

Winner of his seventh career title at Montpellier in February, the Czech uncorked three superb backhand winners en route to breaking Falla and taking a 4-2 lead before going on to serve out the first set.

Berdych reeled off back-to-back aces to make it 4-4 in the second set after Falla had threatened to break his serve. He got the crucial break in the 11th game with another pinpoint backhand before closing out with his ninth ace of the match.

"I was feeling much, much better physically than in my first match and I was able to profit from that," said Berdych, who opened with a 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Looking ahead to Friday's quarterfinal, he said, "Nishikori is one for the future. He is playing at home, which is always a good advantage, and will give him extra motivation, but nothing changes for me. I will try to play my best tennis and see what happens."

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus knocked out fourth seed Juan Monaco of Argentina 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. He will next play either Tatsuma Ito or Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov.

In the day's opening match on center court, third-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic disposed of Swiss qualifier Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 6-2.

Tipsarevic will play sixth seed Milos Raonic of Canada in the next round. Raonic won his match against Viktor Troicki after the Serb retired at 3-0 down in the first set with a calf injury.

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Lee wins Japan Open badminton title

Two-time champion Lee Chong Wei fended off a spirited challenge from Boonsak Ponsana to win the men's singles title at the Chinese-boycotted Japan Open badminton tournament on Sunday.

The Malaysian top seed, the winner in Japan in 2007 and 2010, powered his way through to a 21-18, 21-18 victory over the Thai.

In the women's singles final, Tai Tze-ying of Taiwan dashed any hopes of a title for Japan by beating Eriko Hirose 9-21, 21-9, 21-14.

"It was really a good match, but it was tough," said Lee.

"This is my first tournament after the London Olympics. I'm very happy to start with this victory. I can put my disappointment behind me," added Lee, who lost to China's Lin Dan in the Olympic finals both in London and Beijing.

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Clutch 3-pointer propels Iran past Japan in FIBA Asia Cup final

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Lee storms into Japan Open final

Lee Chong Wei will meet Thailand's unseeded Boonsak Ponsana in the final of the Japan Open after the two-time champion breezed past Simon Santoso on Saturday.

The top seed and Olympic silver medalist, winner in Japan in 2007 and 2010, needed just over 30 minutes to see off the third seed 21-7, 21-17 in a one-sided semifinal.

"Simon seemed not to play his best. He made too many mistakes, especially in the first game, so I just needed to play my game," said Malaysian Lee, 29.

"My next opponent tomorrow is also a veteran player. Currently, me and Lin Dan are leading the world, but I'm sure younger players will be coming up very soon."

Indonesia's Santoso admitted: "I was completely beaten today. I can read the course of his shuttle, but he was much more speedy and powerful. Hopefully, I can beat Lee and Lin Dan and win a big tournament like this."

Lin, along with the rest of the China team, is not in Tokyo after they boycotted the tournament over the diplomatic wrangle over the Senkaku Islands.

Boonsak set up the Sunday showdown with Lee after he defeated unseeded Hu Yun of Hong Kong 21-17, 17-21, 21-19.

"It was really tough. I'm very tired," said Boonsak.

"I attacked very well in the first game and put a lot of pressure on him. But I rushed too much to attack in the second game. In the final game, I tried to make a chance to attack. I was confident to beat him."

Reflecting on his final opponent, the unseeded Boonsak said: "He plays very fast and controls the game very well. It will be very difficult. I lost to him many times, but I defeated him twice before. I will do my best."

In the women's draw, Eriko Hirose, the unseeded home hope who eliminated fourth seed Bae Yeon-Ju of South Korea on Friday, pulled off another upset by beating sixth seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 21-19, 21-13.

"I've never beaten her before, so I'm really happy to win today. My goal is to win a title in the Superseries. I have one more match to go. I'm going to concentrate on each point to win the title," said Hirose.

Hirose will play Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan in the final. Tai, the fifth seed, defeated second-seeded Sung Ji-Hyun of South Korea 16-21, 21-13, 21-17.

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Japan tops Qatar, advances to FIBA Asia Cup final

Entering the FIBA Asia Cup, Team Japan set a goal of advancing to the semifinals. Well, the last four is good, but at the same time it sounds like a compromising goal.

Why not the final two?

Despite struggling early on, the Japan men's national basketball team clicked from the second period on, thanks to its young prospects' outstanding performances, as it defeated Qatar 73-66 in the semifinals of the fourth FIBA Asia Cup at Ota City General Gymnasium on Friday night.

Japan, which finished runnerup in the third tourney (called Stankovic Cup back then) in 2010, will face Iran in Saturday's final.

Forward Kosuke Takeuchi again guided Japan on both ends of the court with an 18-point, nine-rebound performance, and guard Takatoshi Furukawa and forward J.R. Sakuragi contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively.

"I feel so happy that we've reached the final now," Takeuchi said. "Both teams played good defense and we had tough times scoring in the first half. But overall we took the momentum as we kept our cool throughout the game. So today's win means so much to the Japanese team."

Japan shot only 19 percent from the field in the first quarter and trailed 12-9 at the end of the period. But it came through from the second period on and extended its lead to as many as 14 points at the beginning of the final quarter.

Qatar rallied in the closing minutes, but its comeback fell short.

Collegiate guard Makoto Hiejima made some big baskets to give Hayabusa Japan a boost. The 22-year-old Aoyama Gakuin University student was 4-for-6 from inside the 3-point arc and scored 11 points.

"As the tournament wore on, I felt like I was getting a better touch, so I was just going to play as hard as I could today," Hiejima said with a smile.

Japan head coach Kimikazu Suzuki said that he and his staff made extra efforts on scouting Qatar because the Middle East team's coach is ex-Japan floor boss Thomas Wisman and he was quite familiar with his Friday opponent.

"Obviously, Tom knows about us more than any other coaches in this tournament," Suzuki said. "Such as how our players play and how I would mange. So I thought I need to work real hard on scouting on them. I thought we wouldn't be able to end the game on top otherwise."

Wisman started former NBA player Clinton "Trey" Johnson III, who had 28 points in the quarterfinals against Lebanon on Thursday, but Japan defended him well, holding the guard to 10 points on 2-for-14 shooting.

Johnson didn't play in Qatar's first game against Japan on the first day of the group league.

"We succeeded in keeping No. 12 (Johnson) away from scoring very well," Takeuchi said.

For Qatar, center Mohd Yousuf Mohmmed had 22 points and seven rebounds, followed by Erfan Ali Saeed, who had 15 points.

In Friday's earlier semifinal, Iran cruised past the Philippines 77-60.

On Saturday, Japan and Iran will play for the second time in the tournament. Japan lost 71-65 in their first meeting in the group stage.

"We've come all the way here, but it's not over yet. We lost to (Iran) in the preliminary round," Suzuki said. "So we'll play looking for revenge against them."

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Japan cruises past Taiwan in FIBA Asia Cup

JBL standouts J.R. Sakuragi and Kosuke Takeuchi scored 19 and 15 points, respectively, in a 90-78 victory over Taiwan on Saturday in the FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo.

Japan improved to 2-0 in the tournament, which began on Friday.

Guard Takatoshi Furukawa added 16 points and guard Kosuke Kanamaru had a 10-point outing.

Tien Lei paced Taiwan with 19 points, ex-Osaka Evessa center Tseng Wen-ting had 15 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals and Lee Hsueh-lin scored 10 points in the team's first game of the continental competition.

Taiwan shot 14-for-25 at the free-throw line, while Japan was 12-for-14.

Sakuragi and Hinori Watanabe each had five assists for coach Kimikazu Suzuki's team.

Also Saturday, Qatar defeated India 84-63, the Philippines topped Lebanon 78-68 and Uzbekistan routed Macau 81-61.

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Japan edges Qatar in FIBA Asia Cup opener

Power forward Kosuke Takeuchi and guard Kosuke Kanamaru scored 14 points apiece as host Japan defeated Qatar 73-69 in Group B action in the fourth FIBA Asia Cup on Friday night.

"I think our young players really contributed to the team," Japan coach Kimikazu Suzuki said after the game at the brand-new Ota City General Gymnasium. "We could've won more easily had we done a better job in rebounding and not had turnovers. But overall, we played good."

Qatar cut the deficit, which was as many as 12 points in the third quarter, down to three with less than two minutes left in the final period. But Japan survived Qatar's rally, with Takeuchi sinking a pair of clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds.

Veteran center J.R. Sakuragi, a naturalized Japanese citizen playing in his first game for the national team since 2007, also chipped in with 13 points and nine boards.

"It's really disappointing to lose any time," said former Japan national team head coach Thomas Wisman, who became the Qatar coach job two months ago. "But it was the first game of the tournament. We've got seven games in the tournament. We've got to use each game as experience to (become) a better team."

For Qatar, forward Erfan Ali Saeed had a team-high 21 points.

Japan led 41-36 at halftime.

In other games Friday, Lebanon crushed Macau 120-51, Iran beat India 83-71 and China edged the Philippines 71-68.

The 10-team tournament was previously known as the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup. The tournament winner will earn an automatic berth for the 27th FIBA Asia Championship.

Japan finished runnerup in the last tournament in 2010. It will face Taiwan on Saturday.

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Japan, Israel tied up after first day of David Cup World Group playoff

Japan and Israel are deadlocked 1-1 following the opening day of play in their Davis Cup World Group playoff at Ariake Colosseum on Friday.

Japan No. 2 Go Soeda beat Israel No. 1 Dudi Sela in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the opening match, while Israel No. 2 Amir Weintraub downed Japan No. 3 Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the second singles contest.

Ito was playing in place of Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori, who was ruled out Friday morning with a shoulder injury. Nishikori has not been completely scratched from the tie and could play in the reverse singles matches on Sunday.

Israel captain Eyal Ran was pleased to have the tie even after the first day of action.

"This was a classical day of Davis Cup with the players going all out and fighting for their country," he commented. "We are in this tie and I think we can do it now."

Soeda, ranked 55th in the world, displayed a strong forehand and played solidly from the baseline in recording the victory under a blazing sun on the hardcourt.

The win was the first for Soeda against Sela in four career matches.

"I knew I had to win. I couldn't lose," said Soeda. "I was under pressure to show my best. It was a tough match and a big win for me."

After Sela broke Soeda's serve to open the match, the Japanese broke right back. Following the fifth game, Sela took an injury timeout.

Soeda broke in the sixth game with a volley to go up 4-2. He then broke again in the eighth game to take the set 6-2 in 46 minutes.

Soeda had eight winners in the first set, while Sela committed 21 unforced errors.

Sela, ranked 98th, served better in the second set, getting in 74 percent of his first serves, but after breaking Soeda in the first game and holding serve to go up 2-0, he came undone with several more unforced errors.

Soeda took six of the next eight games, breaking Sela in the 10th game to claim the set in 43 minutes.

Sela had 19 unforced errors in the second set.

The Israeli battled back in the third set, using an effective backhand to help record 14 winner's to Soeda two and claimed the set 6-3 in 34 minutes.

Sela broke twice and saw Soeda rack up 14 unforced errors in the set.

"I was tired in the third set and then Sela started playing really well," Soeda commented. "There was an overrule on a call and I lost focus and he took the momentum from me. Then in the fourth set I started playing aggressively again and was able to get it back."

The 28-year-old Soeda closed out the match by getting in 74 percent of his first serves in the fourth set and converting several key points to clinch the victory.

"The start of the match was tough," noted Sela. "I was short with my balls and he was aggressive. I felt better in the second set, but he was solid and didn't give me any free points."

Sela recognized fatigue in his opponent in the third set and capitalized on it.

"I was more aggressive in the third set. He was getting tired at the end of that set. If he kept playing like that, I thought I could win the match, but then he took the first two games of the fourth set at love. He deserved to win."

Weintraub routed Ito in the second match, registering the triumph in just 1 hour, 55 minutes. Weintraub didn't let his lower ranking (223) hold him back against Ito (67th), dominating in every phase of the game.

Weintraub exhibited a strong serve (11 aces) and excellent groundstrokes in the clinical victory. Ito was bedeviled by his 49 unforced errors in the defeat.

"I was surprised when I heard that Nishikori wasn't going to play, but I was concentrating on myself," said Weintraub. "It was good news for us. It wasn't easy against Ito, but of course Nishikori has a higher ranking."

In analyzing his performance, the 25-year-old Weintraub gave himself high marks.

"My serve was very good. He didn't break me the whole match," he said. "I used good combinations, mixing up speeds and playing strong from the baseline. This was one of the better wins in my career."

Saturday's doubles match will see Ito and Yuichi Sugita take on Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram.

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Japan judo champ pleads innocent in rape trial

Two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba has pleaded innocent to raping a teenager at the start of his Tokyo District Court trial.

Media quoted the 34-year-old Uchishiba as saying Wednesday he had consensual sex with the girl.

Prosecutors accused him of intoxicating the young judoka with alcoholic drinks and taking advantage of her inability to resist. Uchishiba, her trainer at the time, claims she was awake and consented to have sex with him.

Her exact age has not been disclosed.

Uchishiba was arrested in December. If convicted, he could face more than three years in prison. A ruling is expected in January.

He won gold medals in the 66-kg class in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was fired as a college judo coach in September over sexual harassment allegations.

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Japan, Israel set for Davis Cup clash

Japan will be looking to remain in the World Group for the second straight year when it takes on Israel in their Davis Cup playoff tie starting on Friday at Ariake Colosseum.

After a 26-year absence, Japan advanced to the World Group with a victory over India last September at Ariake. Japan then lost on home soil to Croatia 2-3 in their first-round tie in Hyogo Prefecture in February.

Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori will again be counted on to come through for his nation. Nishikori, currently ranked 24th, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, but has had to overcome a recent injury to his stomach muscles.

Israel earned the shot at the World Group via its 3-2 victory over Portugal in their Group I Europe/Africa match in April. Israel No. 1 Amir Weintraub and No. 2 Dudi Sela both notched first-day victories to send the Israelis on their way to victory against the Portuguese.

Thursday's draw determined that Sela will take on Go Soeda in the first singles match on Friday, while Weintraub meets Nishikori in the second.

Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita will battle Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich in Saturday's doubles, while Sunday's reverse singles are scheduled to be Nishikori vs. Sela and Soeda vs Weintraub.

Both captains exuded confidence at Thursday's post-draw press conference.

"We are happy with the draw," said Japan captain Toshiro Sakai. "The team is ready. There is a lot of pressure in the Davis Cup, so our players must perform at the highest level."

"We have had a great week of practice," stated Israel captain Eyal Ran. "Playing Japan here is going to be a challenge, but we are looking forward to it."

The tie will mark the first-ever meeting between the nations in Davis Cup play.

Nishikori, Japan's highest-ranked male player ever, feels the team has put the disappointing loss to Croatia behind it.

"That was a tough match. We lost 3-2 at home," he commented. "Now we have to face a team with veteran players like Dudi and Amir."

"We have a tough team that is hungry," noted Ram. "We have experience on our side. We are looking forward to the tie and hoping to go back into the World Group."

Sela, ranked 98th, was analytical in his outlook on the tie.

"They have very good players, but we have played some of them many times before. I am feeling good. Practice has gone well for us."

Soeda knows he is facing a tall order in Sela, a player he has never beaten.

"His backhand slice is very effective," Soeda said. "He has a variety of shots that he can control well. I have to play my game against him. I think I have a chance because this is the first time to play him in a five-set match."

Captain Ram acknowledged that despite Japan having the homecourt advantage, it will also be under pressure to prevail.

"We know Japan has very good players and they have a lot of expectations on them," Ram concluded. "With Davis Cup you never know how it is going to. Anything can happen."

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Paralympics end; 16 medals for Japan

LONDON — The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games concluded Sunday evening in London, the birthplace of organized sporting competition for disabled athletes.

The next Paralympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Reuters quoted London Olympics chairman Sebastian Coe as telling a news conference Sunday, "We've had the most extraordinary summer of sport."

The Japanese team won 16 medals in total, five of them gold, during the 12-day event, falling short of the 27 medals it won in Beijing four years ago.

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Zico insists Iraq can beat Japan

SAITAMA — Iraq coach Zico said Japan is not as invincible as people think, pointing to Uzbekistan's defying the Asian champions in the previous round of World Cup qualifying.

Through three games in this round, however, Japan have been in a class by itself with seven points, five ahead of Iraq and Australia. Alberto Zaccheroni's side has scored 10 goals while conceding just one.

But Zico, who's never faced a game he doesn't think he can win, does not believe Japan already has three more points in the bag. He referred to Uzbekistan's 1-0 victory in February at Toyota Stadium over a full-strength team as proof that where there's a will, there's a way.

"If people will recall, Uzbekistan beat Japan in Japan," the Brazilian great said on the eve of Iraq's World Cup qualifier Tuesday against Japan in Saitama. "There's no reason to think we cannot do the same."

As for playing in Japan, Zico said his men are never at a disadvantage away because Iraq has not had a home game in its war-torn country in years.

"This team has never been able to play at home so the crowd does not affect us," he said. "Japan are obviously a very strong team as everyone knows, but hopefully we can contain them."

"There are no secrets in the modern game. You can't keep anything up your sleeves any more. The important thing is to play as hard as we can and get the most out of our potential."

Zico has changed close to half his squad since its last qualifying match, a 1-1 draw with Oman in Doha on June 12, and was unable to fix any warm-ups in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's game.

He admits that drastic change presented a risk, but said it gave him the best chance of a win against Japan.

"I had to drop players who couldn't find a club to play for, and we also lost three players during our training camp in South Korea," Zico said. "I've also included seven from the Olympic team and I basically picked the fittest and most technical players available."

"I'm aware of the risks of having changed so many players, and there's no denying we have not had enough games leading up to this match."

"We haven't played together since July and I'm not happy we weren't able to fix anything on official FIFA match days. But I'm still convinced our young players will step up because they have what it takes."

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Japan men miss chance to climb to top of volleyball standings

Japan wasted an opportunity on Tuesday to take the lead among Asian teams at the 2012 FIVB Olympic men's volleyball tournament at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Busy night: Tatsuya Fukuzawa leads Japan with 21 points in Tuesday's Olympic men's volleyball qualifying tournament match against South Korea. KYODO

Japan defeated South Korea 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, 19-25, 15-6, securing just two points for the victory. The Koreans collected one point for the five-set defeat.

Following losses earlier in the day by China and Iran, a win in fewer than five sets would have put Japan at the top of the pack chasing Asia's guaranteed berth to London on offer at the eight-team tournament. Instead, the hosts are equal on five points with Iran, who they trail on points ratio.

Japan was led by Tatsuya Fukuzawa, who scored 21, and Kunihiro Shimizu, who chipped in 13.

"I wish we could have won 3-1," Japan captain Daisuke Usami said. "We were passive after the first set. Our mental approach must be reviewed. We will have to sustain our strong will in the coming matches."

Although he was far from jubilant, Japan coach Tatsuya Ueta praised his players.

"This was a team win," he said. "We've become a team where everyone battles. Every player on the floor did his utmost."

South Korea coach Park Ki-Won said, "The individual level of the players was unstable. They could not perform well. This was the key element. I'm sorry we lost."

Earlier, tournament leader Serbia remained perfect by defeating China 25-15, 25-13, 25-21 behind 13 points from Milos Nikic. China fell to 1-2 with four points from three games.

Australia, which trails Serbia on points ratio, dropped the first against Iran before winning 17-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-23. Thomas Edgar scored 24 for Australia, while Adam White accounted for 22.

In the day's other match, Venezuela routed Puerto Rico 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 with captain Kervin Pinerua top-scoring for the South Americans with 14 points.

The top two teams will each win a spot at the London Olympics, as will the next-best Asian team.

Japan's next match is against China on Wednesday.

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Japan edges Cuba in Olympic women's volleyball qualifier

Japan scraped out its fourth win of the Women's 2012 World Olympic qualification tournament at Tokyo Gymnasium on Friday, needing five sets to beat Cuba.

Perfect timing: Japan's Saori Sakoda spikes the ball against Cuba's Yanelis Santos in a FIVB Olympic Volleyball world qualifier on Friday in Tokyo. Japan defeated the three-time world champions in five sets. KYODO

The hosts, chasing one of the final four berths at the London Olympics available here, beat three-time Olympic champion Cuba 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 17-15. The five-set win earned Japan two points in the standings, moving it into second place on 11, four points back of Russia in the eight-team, round-robin tournament.

It was power against power as the sides blasted away in the first five-set match of the tournament. Saori Sakoda and Saori Kimura spearheaded the Japan attack with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Yukiko Ebata contributed 10 tallies.

It was Sakoda's late-match heroics that carried Japan to the stirring victory this night as she dominated in the fourth and fifth.

Yoana Palacios had a match-high 22 points in the loss. Wilma Salas added 19 for Cuba, while Rosana Giel and Yanelis Santos finished with 17 and 16.

Cuba made 40 unforced errors compared to only 11 by Japan. The defeated side held the advantage in blocks 16-4 and both sides scored via eight aces.

"I was very happy to win," Sakoda said. "We want to do the same thing again tomorrow. Wearing the Japan uniform means always having to be prepared. My job is to chance the flow and mood of the game when I come in. I was able to do it tonight."

Added Kimura: "I was determined to destroy their attack with a strong serve."

The Russians, who take on Japan on Saturday, defeated Serbia 25-18, 25-11, 14-25, 25-22 as the Serbs became the first team in the tournament to take a set off Russia.

Thailand improved to nine points with a 25-19, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Peru, while South Korea joined the Thais at nine with a 25-8, 25-12, 25-18 win over winless Taiwan.

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Japan ousted at World Team Cup

Japan was eliminated Thursday from the tennis World Team Cup after losing its third consecutive match in the round robin phase.

Japan dropped its final best-of-three matchup to the United States as doubles pair James Blake and Ryan Harrison topped Tatsuma Ito and Bumpei Sato 4-6, 6-0, 10-3, followed by Harrison's straight-sets singles win over Ito 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

Go Soeda managed a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Andy Roddick in the second singles match.

The United States also failed to advance past the round-robin phase of the eight-team tournament.

Group leaders Argentina and the Czech Republic face off on Friday, with the winner advancing to the finals on Saturday against either Serbia or defending champion Germany.

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Japan suffers rare loss against South Korea

Japan suffered its first loss of the women's Olympic qualifying tournament, going down to South Korea 3-1 on Wednesday.

Take this: Saori Kimura spikes the ball during Japan's Olympic qualifying match against South Korea on Wednesday. KYODO

Japan, which has nine points from four games to sit in second place behind Russia, had not lost to South Korea since October 2008. Japan dropped the first set 18-25 before bouncing back to take the second 25-22 thanks to Saori Kimura, who led Japan with 21 points for the night.

But the Koreans again grabbed the lead by capturing the third set 25-17, and won the last set 25-13 to wrap up the victory. South Korea is fourth on six points with a pair of wins and defeats.

Earlier, three-time Olympic champion Cuba lost 25-21, 25-23, 25-19 to Serbia.

The defeat left the Cubans with three points from four games in danger of missing the Games for the first time since 1988. Serbia improved to nine points.

Russia remained perfect in four games with a 25-17, 25-16, 25-9 win over Peru, which has three points from its lone win. Russia was led by its star Ekaterina Gamova, who scored 15 points.

In Wednesday's other match, Thailand improved to 2-2 in the tournament with a 25-16, 25-18 win over winless Taiwan.

Rare win: South Korea celebrates its victory over Japan on Wednesday. FIVB

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