Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori will face Colombia No. 2 Alejandro Falla in Friday's opening singles match at the Davis Cup World Group Playoff at Ariake Colosseum as the host nation tries to return to the top level of the competition after a year in the Asia-Oceania Zone. The draw was conducted Thursday morning at the venue.
Nishikori, ranked 12th in the world, will play No. 93rd Falla under the roof at Ariake, which will be the site of the tennis competition at the 2020 Olympics. The tie had orginally been slated to be played outdoors, but Japan captain Minoru Ueda requested the change to indoors earlier in the week.
The second singles match on Friday will feature Japan No. 2 Go Soeda against Colombia No. 1 Santiago Giraldo.