Forennews » e second set was evenly matched as both player

TOKYO -- Canada was 1-1 after Fridays opening day of play in a Davis Cup tie against Japan. In the opener of the World Group first-round series, world No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Polansky, who is ranked 135th in the world in mens singles, had replaced Milos Raonic on Canadas Davis Cup team after Raonic pulled out a left foot injury on Thursday. But Canada pulled even in the second match when Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., a 29-year-old veteran of 19 Davis Cup ties, defeated Go Soeda 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1. "Its 1-1 and both No.1 players did their job," said Canadian captain Martin Laurendeau. "Its a big point for us especially after we lost Milos so we are happy with today. We always like to savour the win a little bit but then we will regroup and focus on doubles tomorrow which is always a critical point in the tie." Next up is a doubles match Saturday featuring Toronto veteran Daniel Nestor and Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil, followed by two more singles matches Sunday. Fridays first set of the day was one of shifting momentum as Nishikori jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Polansky came back to win four straight games and go up a break. Nishikori then took the control back, claiming the next four games and the set. Nishikori increased his level even further in the second and third sets, running Polansky all over the court with his defensive play. "I think we both played really well today and there werent too many lapses of focus," said Polansky. "The difference was he played a bit better on some of the bigger points. He converted more break points than I did and we had a lot of long rallies which he did better on as well." In the second match, Soeda went up a quick break but Dancevic won the final five games of the first set to take the early lead. The second set was evenly matched as both players held serve through to a tiebreak where Dancevic fed off the small but noisy Canadian crowd to up his game. Dancevic carried that dominance into the third to close it out and give Canada a much needed point. "I was really happy with my performance today," said Dancevic. "He started off really well and it made me focus more to get back into it. As the match went on I got more and more confidence and was able to finish really strong. The Canadian crowd was great and they really motivated me and kept me in the zone today. The team and bench also got behind me and that little bit of extra emotion to get going again makes a difference." The winner of the best-of-five tie will move on to the quarter-finals in April versus the winner of the first-round tie between Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The losing team will have to play a World Group playoff tie in September to retain their spot in the top level of the competition. 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Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys .C., won gold in the womens 200-metre backstroke, and Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ont.TORONTO - John Davidson will succeed Jim Gregory as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee while Bob Clarke, David Poile and Luc Robitaille will also join as new members. Davidson, the Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations, replaces Gregory as of April 1. Gregory served as chairman for 17 years. "John has been a dedicated member of the selection committee since 1999 and the boards appointment to the chairmans role recognizes his expertise and long-time contribution to the game as a player, media representative and hockey executive along with the fact that he is still very active in the game," Hall of Fame chairman of the board Pat Quinn said in a statement. Clarke, senior vice-ppresident and former general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Poile, GM of the Nashville Predators, and Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings president of business operations, succeed Quinn, Gregory and Serge Savard.dddddddddddd Gregory and Savard reached the end of their term while Quinn stepped down last year to become chairman of the board. After being on the committee for 21 years, Gregory will stay on in a non-voting capacity. He and the other 18 members will meet June 23 and 24 to determine the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2014. That class, which could include first-time eligible players Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano and Peter Forsberg, will be announced June 24. The induction ceremony is Nov. 10. ' ' '