Yuichi Sugita and Kei Nishikori helped Japan to a commanding 2-0 lead against India in the Davis Cup World Group Play-Off tie in Tokyo on Friday.
Germany were the fastest team into September's semi-finals, continuing a long tradition of thrashing Belgium.
The Indian Davis Cup team is set for a battle of gigantic proportions as it takes on five-time champions Spain, who have packed the side with world class performers headlined by the legendary Rafael Nadal in their desperation to reclaim a spot in the elite World Group.
Indian Davis Cup team sweats it out at 'mini cauldron', match timings revised due to tough conditions
Chairman of selectors Shyam Minotra said Amritraj, the highest ranked Indian on the ATP at 317, deserved to be in the team.
India raced to a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie
The hard court of Chennai's Nungambakkam Tennis Centre will host the Davis Cup tie between India and Australia in May, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) said on Tuesday.
Bautista Agut played in Spain's victories over Russia and Croatia but left the team and returned to Castellon after the health of his father Joaquin deteriorated.
British pair Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot defeated Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in four sets in Ottawa to give Britain a 2-1 lead ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
Yuki Bhambri returned to Davis Cup action with a commanding victory while Ramkumar Ramanathan did not even need his 'A game' to emerge victorious as India grabbed a 2-0 lead in the World Group I Play-off tie against Denmark, in New Delhi, on Friday.
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.
Canada named rising star and world number 69 Denis Shapovalov in its squad to take on India in the upcoming Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie, scheduled in Edmonton from September 15.
A spate of recent successes on the ITF circuit has fetched Delhi lad Yuki Bhambri a place in the Indian Davis Cup squad for the crucial World Group play-off tie against South Africa scheduled on September 18 to 20.
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.
Long-serving Leander Paes was, on Thursday, dropped for the first time in 27 years from India's Davis Cup squad as non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi picked Rohan Bopanna instead for the tie against Uzbekistan.
Rafael Nadal will play Sergiy Stakhovsky in Friday's second Davis Cup singles rubber after Spain announced their lineup for the World Group playoff at home to Ukraine on Thursday.
World number one Novak Djokovic overpowered Dennis Novak after Dusan Lajovic battled past Gerald Melzer and Serbia went on to a 3-0 win in their opener against Group F hosts Austria in the Davis Cup Finals in Innsbruck on Friday.
The 12 winners of the Qualifiers on March 6-7 next year will compete alongside the six nations that have automatically qualified for the 2020 Finals.
The April 4-6 match will be held at the lush green grass courts of the Calcutta South Club.
Veteran pairing Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut booked France's place in another Davis Cup final as they won the doubles to seal the champions' 3-0 victory over Spain in their World Group semi-final on Saturday.
For the first time in 10 years, India have a real chance of re-entering the elite 16-member group as they take on Romania, for the first time since 1971.
Britain battled to victory over last year's Davis Cup runners-up Australia in their Finals group stage opener on Wednesday, while Spain and Italy both suffered chastening defeats at home in the premier men's team competition.
Outgoing Davis Cup captain S P Misra has said with quality players such as Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri in the team, India have a good chance to qualify for the World Group next year.
The Indian Davis Cup team, whitewashed by formidable Spain in the World Group Play-off tie, were seeded second behind Kazakhstan in the Asia/Oceania Group 1.
Shapovalov made the world take note of him with his shock win over Rafael Nadal at the Montreal Masters. He then became the youngest player to reach the fourth round of the US Open, only his second Grand Slam, last week.
An Indian tennis team will travel to Pakistan after 55 years. The last time they sparred on Pakistan soil was way back in March 1964 in Lahore, where India won 4-0.
Team India lauds Yuki Bhambri, hero of match against New Zealand.
According to Davis Cup regulations, the Pakistan Tennis Federation now has five working days to choose and confirm their proposed venue.
Back in the World Group after an 11-year gap, India was on Wednesday handed a tough Davis Cup draw and will take on fourth seeds and former champions Russia in an away first-round tie scheduled for March 5 to 7.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost to a lower-ranked Otto Virtanen, while Ramkumar Ramanathan was beaten by Emil Ruusuvuori, leaving India trailing Finland 0-2 in the Davis World Group I, in Espoo, on Friday.
India was left to battle it out in the Asian zone yet again after Ramkumar Ramanathan's defeat in the must-win fourth rubber of the Davis Cup match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov in Edmonton, on Sunday.
Bhupathi said home comfort and the X-factor of Calcutta South Club's grasscourts hold India in good stead in the tie
Harsh Mankad, included as a reserve player in the squad, had earlier demanded a guarantee of him playing in the tie.
The All India Tennis Association decided against seeking a change of venue for the Davis Cup tie versus Pakistan in Islamabad, scheduled on September 14 and 15.
A dogged Somdev Devvarman scripted a spectacular win over South Africa's Rik De Voest in a high-voltage marathon five-setter to clear India's passage into the elite Davis Cup World Group after a long wait of 11 years in Johannesburg, on Sunday. Tenacity of Somdev and Voest engineered a prodigious tennis game which the Indian won 3-6, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4.
The Spanish tennis federation (RFET) said on Thursday it had decided not to extend the contract of Davis Cup captain Alex Corretja when it expires at the end of this year but has yet to name a successor.
Even a second-string Serbia proved a mighty opponent as Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman suffered crushing singles defeats to leave India trailing 0-2 on the opening day of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie in Bangalore.
Andy Murray remains committed to playing a full part in Great Britain's Davis Cup defence despite the prospect of a packed schedule hampering the world number two's chances of leading the side to a repeat triumph.
Spain, Sweden and Argentina reached the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup after sealing World Group first round victories with a minimum of fuss on Saturday.
