Davis Cup tie after Nishikori downed an ailing Dancevic 6-2, 1-0

TOKYO -- Frank Dancevic wanted to give it his all in Canadas do-or-die singles match against Japans Kei Nishikori at the Davis Cup on Sunday. Parys Haralson Jersey . But unfortunately for the Niagara Falls, Ont., native, a pulled muscle wouldnt allow him to go past the second set. Japan sealed its victory over Canada in the first-round Davis Cup tie after Nishikori downed an ailing Dancevic 6-2, 1-0. Later Sunday, Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., lost to Go Soeda in the fifth match 6-1, 6-4 to increase Japans margin to 4-1. "Kei came out playing really well today and once I pulled a stomach muscle early in the second set there was no way I could stay with him when I could only serve at 20 per cent..." Dancevic said. "Under other circumstances I probably wouldnt have even stepped on the court with the way I was feeling, but this is Davis Cup and I wanted to give it all I had and push to the limit because this situation means a lot to me." Dancevic, ranked 119th in mens singles, held his serve during the first game, but World No. 18 Nishikori went on to break twice and win the next five games to eventually take the set. After being broken to start the second set, Dancevic took a medical timeout and was forced to retire, handing the match and the tie to Japan. Canada will play a World Group playoff in September in hopes of keeping its spot in the upper echelon of the competition. Japan, meanwhile, will face the winner of a tie between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. The Canadian squad was missing its top two singles players at the tournament as both No. 11 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., and No. 25 Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver were unable to recover from injuries in time to play. Polansky, who lost Canadas first singles match to Nishikori on Friday, replaced Raonic. Dancevic stepped in for Pospisil in the doubles match with Daniel Nestor on Saturday. The Canadian duo, who hadnt played together in three years, lost to Nishikori and Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4. "We just battled with so many things this week and nothing really went our way when it came to injuries," said Canadian team captain Martin Laurendeau. "Its obviously disappointing but you cant blame these guys. They gave their all. "... Frank and Peter stepped in and left everything on the court every time they went out there. With what we accomplished last year (reaching the semifinal) we didnt want to take a step back like this but hopefully everyone gets healthy and has a strong season and we can fight hard to keep our spot in September." Nick Toon Womens Jersey . More than a month after signing the free agent centre, Bynum is expected to make his debut with Indiana on Tuesday night against Boston.Erik Lorig Jersey . A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012.ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues placed star forward Alex Steen on the injured list Saturday because of a concussion and are cautiously optimistic. General manager Doug Armstrong said the NHLs No. 2 goal scorer will be out indefinitely. Armstrong announced the move, made retroactive to Dec. 21, in a statement before the teams game with Chicago. "I say indefinitely because it could be day to day or week to week," Armstrong said during the morning skate. "Theres no set timetable, but he is exercising and we hope he has a speedy recovery." Steen hasnt played since he left a game against Edmonton on Dec. 21 with what the team called an "upper-body injury." Its the second concussion with the Blues for Steen, who will not accompany the team on a two-game trip to Dallas and Minnesota. "Were going to want to take our time," Armstrong said. "Were hoping that its not a long-term thing." Steen is the Blues leading scorer with 24 goals and 38 points in 35 games. He has six game-winning goals, second most in the league. The Blues believe Steens symptoms began with a hit by Ottawas Zack Smith on Dec. 16. Smith was penalized for an illegal check tto the head but the NHL did not review the play. Drew Brees Womens Jersey. Steen also took a high hit from the Canadiens Douglas Murray on Dec. 19 and the last came from former teammate David Perron of Edmonton. "Hes such a big part of our team," said forward Jaden Schwartz, who has taken Steens spot on the Blues top line with David Backes and T.J. Oshie. "He plays in all situations, hes a big leader, so its definitely tough." The Swede is in his ninth season. He signed a three-year $17.4 million contract extension this month. Forward Sergey Andronov was recalled under emergency conditions from Chicago (AHL). The 24-year-old Andronov was a third-round pick in the 2009 draft has 13 points on seven goals and six assists in 28 games. Steen missed 39 games with a concussion in 2011-12 from a hit against the Phoenix Coyotes on Dec. 23, 2011. "I think wed be just as careful if it was his first one," Armstrong said. "Any time you deal with a head injury, you want to be cautious and thats what we want to do with Alexander." The Blues anticipated forward Vladimir Sobotka would return Saturday from an upper-body injury. cheap jerseys ' ' '