Japan defeated Lebanon (3-1) in the Davis Cup match between the two countries, which took place on the first court of the Smash Sporting Club in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. As a result, the Japanese team qualified for World Group I, while the Lebanese team was relegated to World Group II.
After a 1-1 draw on the first day, Japan pulled off two hard-fought victories on Saturday.
The first match on Saturday was in the doubles category, and the Japanese team of Yoshihito Nishioka (born 1995, ranked 61 in the world and number 1 in his team) and Yusuke Watanoka (born 1998, ranked 102 in the world and number 2 in his team) won a tough match against the Lebanese duo of Benjamin Hassan (born 1995, ranked 149 in the world and number 1 in his team) and Hadi Habib (born 1998, ranked 301 in the world and number 2 in his team) in two sets (7-5) (7-5). Despite some tough resistance, the Lebanese duo fell to the Japanese tandem, allowing Japan to take a 2-1 lead in the overall series.
The fourth match pitted Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, each team’s top seed, in a marathon match lasting two hours and eleven minutes. Lebanon went into the match with their backs against the wall. Indeed, Benjamin Hassan had no choice but to win the match and level the score to advance to the decisive fifth game. Hassan managed to close out the first set (6-1) quickly after a great, virile performance with absolute control over his opponent. In the second set, the play between the two protagonists was more balanced until the tie break, which the Japanese concluded in his favor (7-6).
In the third and final set, Nishioka broke his opponent from the outset and never gave up a game. The Japanese player closed the set with a score of 6-4, giving his country victory.
The fifth match, which had become marginal, did not take place. Oliver Faisal, President of the Lebanese Tennis Federation, said he was proud of the Cedar Nation’s players after a good performance in the four matches on Friday and Saturday. Lebanon has been relegated to World Group II, pending better days ahead.
