The twins arrived on court under intense pressure, their match being a must-win for the Kingdom following the defeat of their team-mates Kittipong Wachiramanowong and Weerapat Doakmaiklee in the singles on Friday.

Although the Ratiwatanas put up a fight, it was not enough to overcome Takao Suzuki and Satoshi Iwabuchi, who prevailed in four sets 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-4. It was sweet revenge for the Japanese duo, who lost to the Thais in the Doha Asian Games last year.

In fact, the Thai pair looked to have clawed their way back into the match, having a double break point at 4-3 and 40-15 in the fourth set. But after a break-point shot was overruled by the umpire, their spirit began to sink as the hosts turned the situation around.

"If our shot hadn't been overruled, we could have won that game and served to level at two sets all. We were playing well and should have carried on the momentum,'' said Sanchai, who also lost to the same pair back in their 2004 meeting - also at the Namihaya Dome.

Japan have now established a 6-2 lead over Thailand in Davis Cup ties. They have never lost to the Kingdom when hosts.

In today's meaningless reverse singles, Go Soeda takes on Weerapat and Suzuki faces Kittipong.

The win earns Japan a berth in the elite group play-offs, while Thailand remain in the Asia/Oceania Group I zone next year.

Meanwhile, Germany and Sweden qualified for the Davis Cup semi-finals by winning

doubles matches yesterday, and Russia moved closer to a spot in the last four after taking a 2-1 lead over France. Both Germany and Sweden took insurmountable 3-0 leads yesterday, with the Germans beating host Belgium on clay in Ostend and the Swedes eliminating visiting Argentina on carpet in Goteborg.

In the other quarter-final, the United States lead Spain 2-0 on indoor hard courts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.