Serbia, Germany, Australia grab Davis Cup finals berths

Former champions Serbia, Germany, Australia and Italy punched tickets to the Davis Cup finals on Saturday, while Japan rallied from a 2-1 deficit as Taro Daniel won the decisive rubber to overcome China.

Serbia, playing without Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, watched their 2-0 overnight lead evaporate in Tashkent as Uzbekistan roared back to send their clash to a fifth rubber.

Denis Istomin partnered Sanjar Fayziev to a 2-6 6-1 6-3 win over Nikola Milojevic and Viktor Troicki in the doubles before he downed Dusan Lajovic 6-3 6-4 in the singles.

But Filip Krajinovic picked up the decisive point by coming from behind to beat world number 280 Sanjar Fayziev 4-6 6-3 6-0 to nail down a place for Serbia at November's revamped finals in Madrid.

Germany, who won the last of three titles in 1993, eased to victory over Hungary as Jan-Lennard Struff and Tim Puetz strolled to a 6-2 6-3 doubles triumph to an unassailable 3-0 advantage.

Third-ranked Alexander Zverev cruised to a 6-3 6-4 win over Gabor Borsos in the first reverse singles as the countries opted to play out the remaining dead rubbers in Frankfurt.

Australia romped to a 4-0 rout of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Adelaide, as John Peers and Jordan Thompson clinched the tie with a 7-5 6-1 defeat of Mirza Basic and Tomislav Brkic in the doubles.

Teenager Alexei Popyrin, in his Davis Cup debut, followed up with a 6-1 7-6 (7/2) win over Nerman Fatic, while the fifth match was not played.

"After a long summer, it's not easy for a lot of these boys, but they did absolutely everything we asked of them, to come and do all the hard work on the practice court and I'm just really thrilled that they got the result they deserved," Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt told the Davis Cup website.

Andreas Seppi guided Italy into the finals of the revamped competition after the 1976 champions dispatched India 3-1.

Seppi brushed aside India's number one Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-1 6-4 in the first reverse singles tie on Kolkata's grass court after India avoided a whitewash by taking the doubles.

Italy, who had led 2-0, overnight were forced to extend the encounter after Simone Bolelli and Matteo Berrettini lost to Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.

- Canada face decider -
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