Lleyton Hewitt has secured Australia’s passage into the Davis Cup World Group playoffs with a 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) win over China’s Zhang Ze yesterday to give Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead in the Asia-Oceania Group 1 second-round match up.
The 173rd-ranked Hewitt, originally only listed to play in Saturday’s doubles, replaced Marinko Matosevic for the first of yesterday’s reverse singles.
The former No. 1-ranked Hewitt repaid the faith of team captain Pat Rafter, recording his 37th win in 46 Cup singles matches.
Photo: Reuters
JAPAN VS UZBEKISTAN
AFP, KOBE, JAPAN
Kei Nishikori defeated Denis Istomin in a four-set thriller as Japan stormed to a 4-1 win over Uzbekistan to reach the playoffs for the Davis Cup World Group yesterday.
Nishikori, who also won his first singles and doubles matches, scored a 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the best-of-five contest of the Asia-Oceania Group 1 second-round match up.
In the shortened final dead rubber, Go Soeda whipped Sarvar Ikramov 7-5, 6-0 to complete the emphatic scoreline.
The playoff for the World Group will be played Sept. 16 through Sept. 18.
NZ VS PHILIPPINES
AFP, WELLINGTON
New Zealand won their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I relegation playoff against the Philippines 5-0 yesterday in Hawera.
Kiwi Marcus Daniell defeated Jeson Patrombon 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, before his compatriot Artem Sitak downed Cecil Mamiit 6-4, 7-5.
Additional reporting Staff writer
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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