Osaka, Japan, November 18, 2009 -- Japan came back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to beat European champions Poland 3-2 in the last match of the first day of the Men’s World Grand Champions Cup on Wednesday night.

The Asian champions won a gripping encounter 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10, and owed a lot to an inspired passage of play from southpaw Kunihiro Shimizu in the fourth set which changed the complexion of the match.

After losing the first set at 22-25, Japan’s blocking swept them into a 5-1 lead in the second set, sending the Poles into a TO, and the gap had grown to five, 8-3, at the first TTO and 16-10 at the second TTO. The Polish attack began to falter, and they called a TO trailing 19-12 on another wild spike. Fukuzawa, soaring down the middle, finished the second set 25-15, 1-1.

After the 10-minute entertainment break, Poland came back strongly through Jakub Jarosz, together with some Plinski blocking and a fired-up Michal Bakiewicz, and to take the set without much difficulty.

Shimizu and Fukuzawa tried to revive Japan at the start of the fourth set, and the blocking of Matsumoto took them into the first TTO ahead 8-7. Poland suffered at the hands of Shimizu, who scored three straight points with two kills and one stuff block to round off some superb Japanese defence. Trailing 12-11, Poland took a TO.

There was no escape from Shimizu, who added one more spike then two straight fizzing aces for 16-12, having turned the set on its head with this one-man demolition act. On the restart from the TTO, Shimizu stunned Poland again with his fourth consecutive point, and his third service ace in a row for 17-12. Fukuzawa and Ishijima took up the attack and powered Japan to the fourth set, 25-21, 2-2. Shimizu had scored eight points in the fourth set, including his three aces for a match total of five.

Ishijima led Japan’s charge in the tiebreak; not only was his block and spike outstanding, but also his serve reception and his control under pressure in defence. Shimizu pounded Japan into a three-point lead, 8-5, at the turnaround, and continued to unsettle the defence with his booming serves. Poland needed a TO in big trouble, down 11-7, and with Japan sensing victory.