Croatia lead Japan 2-1 in Davis Cup

11 Feb 2012, 8:52 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Croatia's men have a 2-1 lead over Japan after winning the doubles in the Davis Cup World Group tennis tie in Tokyo.

Ivo Karlovic teamed up with Ivan Dodig to win the doubles as 2005 champions Croatia took a 2-1 lead over Japan in their Davis Cup tennis World Group first-round tie on Saturday.

The country's No.3 and No.4 coasted to a 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory over Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita on the indoor hardcourt in the western Japanese city of Miki.

On Friday, Japanese No.2 Go Soeda caused a stir when he stormed back from two sets down to beat Dodig 6-7 (3-7) 3-6 6-4 6-3 7-5 in an opener that lasted four hours and five minutes.

But Karlovic came to his side's rescue, firing down 18 aces on his way to a straightforward 6-4 6-4 6-3 victory over Australian Open quarter-finalist Kei Nishikori.

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