ed resistance and struck a 44-ball 72 but his efforts were never enough to take the side over the line as they were restricted to 168/8. They will next face?American-Spanish pairing of Nicholas Monroe and María Jose Martínez Sánchez in the second round. ince undergoing knee surgery in March, and celebrated a 2-0 win over Australia that sealed Japan’s qualification for the tournament in Russia next year. women’s last 16, with Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Jennifer Brady and CoCo Vandeweghe also through. Moreover, it will be against Australia, one of the traditional powerhouses of the sport, as opposed to an understrength West Indies team or Zimbabwe. “But at the same time is true that things can be made to happen earlier because I believe that he played two doubles matches. rbine Muguruza and Ukrainian baseline specialist Elina Svitolina still in contention. “If we moved the ball quicker and went forward faster we could have definitely found gaps. When playing in the centre I can control the game and generate chances. World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia still ‘crucial’ for Japan, says Shinji Okazaki.