Holders Czech Republic showed how tenaciously they will fight to retain the Davis Cup on Saturday, while five-times champions Spain avoided being knocked out in the first round for the first time since 2006 by winning their doubles rubber against Canada.
Davies's poor spot-kick was saved low to his right by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Canada wasted numerous other opportunities to open the scoring.
Somdev Devvarman recorded his first Davis Cup win to keep India afloat in the second round tie against Chinese Taipei as both the teams were locked 1-1 on the opening day of the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I tie in Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei) on Friday.
Four members of the Davis Cup team have written to the AITA saying they will not play under captain Leander Paes.
Argentina, the Czech Republic and Spain also booked their places in the last eight by opening up 3-0 leads.
The youngster faces Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin, while Rohan Bopanna will play Farrukh Dustov in the Asia Oceania Zone Group I tie.
Rafael Nadal's decision to opt out of Spain's Davis Cup tie against Peru is understandable given the physical problems the world number two has experienced in recent seasons, captain Emilio Sanchez-Vicario said.
Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will make his Davis Cup debut for France in a first-round tie against Romania next month.
Holders Serbia avoided any more scares to complete a 4-1 victory over India in the Davis Cup on Sunday and Germany joined them in the quarter-finals as Philipp Petzschner edged them to victory in a thriller in Croatia. The United States also booked a home quarter-final against favourites Spain as Andy Roddick gave them a 3-1 lead in Chile with victory over Paul Capdeville.
India badly missed Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuapthi as Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand a 2-1 lead to top seeds and defending champions Serbia in the Davis Cup World Group first round tie, in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Saturday.
Yuki Bhambri returned to India's Davis Cup squad for the World Group play-off tie against world No 2 Serbia, as the selectors named a six-member squad on expected lines. Somdev Devvarman, the country's No 1 singles player, will lead the squad.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic pummelled France's Gael Monfils on Sunday to tie the Davis Cup final at 2-2 and set up a nailbiting climax later in the Belgrade Arena.
Injured world number one Rafael Nadal pledged to do everything in his power to get fit in time for Spain's Davis Cup final against Argentina in just over two weeks.
The United States lifted the Davis Cup for the 32nd time when they completed a 4-1 victory over Russia in the 2007 World Group final on Sunday
John Fitzgerald has been reappointed non-playing captain of Australia's Davis Cup squad for 2008 despite failing to keep the 28-times champions in the World Group. Australia lost their place in the elite World Group for the first time since 1991 when they lost a relegation tie against Serbia in September.
Switzerland's Roger Federer, who has been hampered by back problems, has been named to play in the second singles rubber of the Davis Cup final against France's Gael Monfils on Friday, organisers announced on Thursday.
The world number one confirmed he would play for Switzerland against Britain in the World Group play-off in September.
Janko Tipsarevic emerged as Serbia's hero after he beat Radek Stepanek in the decisive rubber to propel his country to their first Davis Cup final with an nerve-jangling 3-2 win over the Czech Republic.
BCCI ended days of crisis after the broadcaster apologised and reinstated Gary Lineker as the host of his show the 'Match of the Day;
Vishnu Vardhan joined the Indian Davis Cup team in Chandigarh on Sunday and said the hosts are familiar with the playing style of the New Zealand squad that touched down for the Asia-Oceania tie starting September 14.
Bernard Tomic ground down Jack Sock 7-6(2), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to level Australia's Davis Cup first round tie with the United States at 1-1 in Melbourne on Friday.
Gael Monfils rose to the occasion as he upset Roger Federer 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to help France level the Davis Cup final with Switzerland 1-1 on Friday.
Unheralded British youngster Kyle Edmund faces a Davis Cup baptism of fire when he makes his debut in the final on Friday against Belgium's David Goffin in the opening rubber.
A charged up V M Ranjeet put up a spirited fight before losing while Vijayant Malik suffered a tame defeat as India, without its top players, lost the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie against South Korea 1-4 in New Delhi on Sunday.
Tennis great Leander Paes says it is "humbling" to be the first Indian tennis player and the first Asian male tennis player to be nominated for the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame.
India consolidated its place further in Davis Cup history on Sunday when it scored a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Brazil in the world group play-off tie in Chennai.
India's hopes of making it to the Davis Cup elite World Group of 16 for the first time since 1998 received a setback when they were drawn to face world No 14 Romania away from home. The draw for the eight play-off matches, from September 19 to 21, was made at the ITF headquarters in London on Wednesday morning.
Thomaz Bellucci helped Brazil draw first blood in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against India, scoring a fighting five-set victory over Rohan Bopanna. The 22-year-old held his nerve to overcome the 30-year-old Indian 6-7 (2), 7-6 (7), 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in a baseline slugfest that lasted a little less than four-and-a-half hours.
England, inspired by 87 from new wicketkeeper-batsman Steven Davies, defeated Pakistan for the fourth time in a row on Friday.
It will be the beginning of a new era in Indian tennis when a young Davis Cup team, sans all the proven stars, battles it out against New Zealand to stay in the Asia Oceania Group I.
Indian captain Anand Amritraj hinted that Saketh Myneni partner Leander Paes for the doubles rubber in the World Group Davis Cup play-off tie and he believes the hosts have a "good chance" of earning a point against the formidable Spain.
As Mahesh Bhupathi prepares to retire this year, India's new Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj feels the veteran tennis ace should get a farewell tie, though he made clear it is not in his hands to decide on the matter.
Leander Paes and sunil Kumar Sipaeya will team up for the doubles in the match against Uzbekistan.
Warner played some audacious strokes batting both left and right-handed.
The defeat will rankle the Indian pair all the more as Bopanna is a top-10 player in doubles while Bhambri too is ranked among the top-100. The Uzbekis are not even in the top-300.
Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek used a roaring home crowd to come back from a set down on Saturday, putting the Czech Republic 2-1 up over holders Spain and a win away from the Davis Cup title.
Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek used a roaring home crowd to come back from a set down on Saturday, putting the Czech Republic 2-1 up over holders Spain and a win away from the Davis Cup title. The Czech pair looked tired from the opening singles matches that went late on Friday but triumphed 3-6 7-5 7-5 6-3.
Somdev Devvarman learnt a good tennis lesson from Mikhail Youzhny and was outclassed 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 in the first reverse singles, resulting in India's ouster from the elite World Group of the Davis Cup tournament in Moscow on Sunday.
Germany were the fastest team into September's semi-finals, continuing a long tradition of thrashing Belgium.
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