Japan captain Jun Kamiwazumi said on Wednesday his country will have to win three singles if it is to beat India in a Davis Cup tennis tie for the first time in 74 years.
A singles clash between Prakash Amritraj and Gouichi Motomura will open the five-match encounter in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group-One second round from Friday to Sunday in Osaka, Japan.
In Wednesday's draw, Indian ace and playing captain Leander Paes was drawn to face Japanese No. 1 Takao Suzuki in the second singles at the Utsubo Tennis Centre in Osaka, western Japan.
"We need to crush Paes. That will be the key to our success," Kamiwazumi told reporters after the draw. "The doubles will be a tough match. We aim to chalk up three wins in the singles."
India have defeated Japan 17 times in their 19 Davis Cup encounters, or 17 times in a row since Japan won 5-0 in 1930.
Japan also triumphed 5-0 in 1921.
The five Japan-India matches will be fought on hard courts, generally favoured by Japanese players.
Japan beat Indonesia 3-2 in the first round in Jakarta in February.
In India's first round, Paes won two singles and combined with Mahesh Bhupathi to take the doubles as India whipped New Zealand 3-2 in Invercargill.
The draw:
Day 1 (April 9): Gouichi Motomura vs Prakash Amritraj; Takao Suzuki vs Leander Paes.
Day 2 (April 10): Takahiro Terachi/Thomas Shimada vs Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi
Day 3 (April 11): Takao Suzuki vs Prakash Amritraj; Gouichi Motomura vs Leander Paes.
AFP
