Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil helped Canada take a 2-1 lead over Japan with a Davis Cup doubles win in Vancouver.
Nestor and Pospisil edged Japan's Go Soeda and Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted nearly three hours on the indoor hardcourt at Vancouver's Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
In Friday's opening matches, Milos Raonic gave Canada a 1-0 lead by beating Tatsuma Ito 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. The Day 1 nightcap then saw Japan's Kei Nishikori top Pospisil 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
Sunday's reverse singles call for Raonic to battle the U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori in a marquee matchup and Pospisil to tangle with Ito
Canada and Japan are facing off in a repeat of last year's first-round clash. The 2014 encounter in Tokyo saw both sides depleted by injuries and it was the Japanese who extended their perfect record against the Canadians to 6-0.
The Canadians are captained by Martin Laurendeau, while the Japanese are led by Minoru Ueda.
The winner in Vancouver will move on to face Belgium or Switzerland in a quarterfinal in July.
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