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.
Sweden and Novak Djokovic's Serbia took the two best runners-up spots and a place in the last eight by virtue of their better match win-loss records among the second placed sides throughout the group stages.
Bopanna also in reserves while four single specialists named in squad
Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray carried Britain to the brink of a Davis Cup semi-final berth after they beat France in the doubles rubber to take a 2-1 lead ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
Lukas Rosol beat Evgeny Korolev 7-6, 67, 7-6, 6-2 to give the Czech Republic an unassailable 3-1 lead over Kazakhstan and propel the defending champions into the Davis Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
Davis Cup holders Britain edged into a 2-1 lead in Serbia after Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot won Saturday's doubles.
Uzbekistan suffered a blow with their top player Denis Istomin ruled out of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 tie against India due to a foot injury, on Tuesday.
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.
While off-court battles over pay and governance rumbled on, opportunities were scarce beyond the duopoly at the top of the men's game, leaving Djokovic to provide the year's standout moments for the chasing pack.
Substitute Dmitry Tursunov beat Andy Roddick in an epic five-set battle to seal a Russian victory over the United States.
They need to beat Thailand to advance to the World Group finals.
Ram Kumar Ramanathan will take on Seong-Chan Hong, ranked more than 200 places below him, in the first singles match of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group-I tie between India and South Korea starting in Chandigarh on Friday.
'We are not interested in forfeiting the tie. We look forward to working with the ITF to find a solution that guarantees the safety of all the players'
The team made the grade after finishing third in the Asia-Oceania zonal qualifiers in Jakarta last week.
Novak Djokovic began the fightback and Janko Tipsarevic completed the job as Serbia overturned a 2-1 deficit against Canada in the Davis Cup semi-final on Sunday.
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.
Novak Djokovic spurred Serbia to a 3-0 win over neighbours Croatia in the first round of the Davis Cup on Saturday and they will be joined in the quarter-finals by an equally rampant France.
The April 4-6 match will be held at the lush green grass courts of the Calcutta South Club.
Rafael Nadal's decision to opt out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off opening tie remained shrouded in mystery with Spain captain Conchita Martinez and player Feliciano Lopez coming up with two different versions.
The International Tennis Federation has rejected an appeal by Pakistan to host its Davis Cup tie against Lebanon next year, the Pakistan Tennis Federation has said.
Croatia and France were tied at 1-1 after Friday's singles in their Davis Cup semi-final clash in Zadar after Richard Gasquet and Marin Cilic both won their matches.
India were relegated to Asia Ocenia Group II in Davis Cup after the seasoned doubles pair of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna lost the doubles rubber, giving Uzbekistan an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Group I tie, in Namangan (Uzbekistan), on Saturday.
India got off to a worst possible start in their Asia Ocenia Group I Davis Cup tie losing both the singles matches against Uzbekistan who took a 2-0 lead in Namangan.
Serbia celebrated their first Davis Cup title after Viktor Troicki thrashed France's Michael Llodra to secure a memorable 3-2 victory inside a rocking Belgrade Arena on Sunday.
Argentina cruised into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup and looked poised for a clash with defending champions Serbia who moved into a 2-0 first-day lead away to Sweden on Friday.
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.
Since new Davis Cup reforms have been introduced, India will not have to go back to the Asia/Oceania Group immediately.
The captain may be loathe to the idea, but the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association defended the decision to slot the Davis Cup tie against Spain in the evening, saying the aim is to make the event more accessible to tennis fans and save Indian players from cramping.
Rafa Nadal mounted a thrilling comeback back from a set down to beat Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 and clinch Spain's fifth Davis Cup tennis title on Sunday.
The last time Argentina met Spain in the Davis Cup, in the 2008 final in Mar del Plata, the South Americans were firm favourites to claim their first title but their challenge was wrecked by infighting within the team.
With the Davis Cup final against France looming, Roger Federer and his Swiss team mate Stanislas Wawrinka on Tuesday played down talk of an internal row, sparked by the pair's fiery clash at the ATP World Tour Finals last week.
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.
Win is the only thing on Seppi's mind and he is focussed on giving his country the lead on Friday.
Brothers Jamie and Andy Murray claimed a tense four-hour doubles rubber against Australian pair Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth on Saturday to put Britain 2-1 up and on the verge of a first Davis Cup final since 1978.
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.
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