Croatia moved within one rubber of a place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals by winning Saturday's doubles clash in Japan.

Ivan Dodig and Ivo Karlovic, both of whom had played singles on Friday, teamed up for the visitors and posted a 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita at the Bourbon Beans Dome in Hyogo.

Dropped service games at the end of the first set and start of the second by Sugita proved costly for the home side but Japan hit back by claiming the third.

However, hopes of an epic comeback win soon evaporated as Ito lost his delivery at the start of the third and once they had moved 3-0 up, the big-serving Croatian pair never looked like losing.

Croatia must now win just one of Sunday's reverse singles to move into the last eight.

Australia remain on course to reclaim their place in the World Group after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead against China in their Asia/Oceania Group I clash

Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione teamed up in Geelong and recorded a straight-sets doubles win.