Davis Cup: Rain washes out play in Japan vs Brazil tie

Japan, which took at 2-0 lead after Friday's opening singles, was set to play Yasutaka Uchiyama and Kiwi-born Ben McLachlan against Brazilian pair Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares but the rubber has been pushed back to Sunday.

Rain washed out the doubles match between Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan and Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares of Brazil during day two of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off between Japan and Brazil.

Typhoon rain washed out Saturday's Davis Cup doubles between Japan and Brazil in Osaka with the host on the brink of a return to the competition's world group.

Japan, which took at 2-0 lead after Friday's opening singles, was set to play Yasutaka Uchiyama and Kiwi-born Ben McLachlan against Brazilian pair Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares but the rubber has been pushed back to Sunday, organisers said.

The home nation took control of the tie after Yuichi Sugita beat Guilherme Clezar 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 and Go Soeda squeezed past Thiago Monteiro in a nervy 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 victory.

Japan, missing talisman Kei Nishikori through injury, needs just one more win from the best-of-five playoff to return to the Davis Cup's top tier as it looks to bounce back from a stinging defeat by France in February.

However, with rain also forecast for the rest of the weekend, play could spill over into Monday. Japan has preserved its world group status with playoff wins in the past two years, largely helped by Nishikori's heroics.