TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Billie Jean King Cup captain Ai Sugiyama hopes to get her team back to the finals of the women's team tennis event by topping the three-team Group A of the qualifiers beginning Friday in Tokyo.

Japan last year advanced to the 12-team finals in Malaga, Spain, and lost to eventual champion Italy two matches to one in the last eight.

After Friday's opening tie between Canada and Romania, Japan will face Romania on Saturday and Canada on Sunday at Ariake Colosseum.

Under the new format for the qualifiers, a tie consists of two singles matches and one doubles match, instead of the four singles and one doubles played until last year.

"The new format has increased the importance of each match," Sugiyama, who was one of Japan's most successful players in both singles and doubles, told a press conference Thursday.

"We also play in a three-team group for the first time. You never know what will happen until the end. We'll try to get not only as many matches and sets as possible but even points as well.

Ena Shibahara won the opening match of last year's best-of-three quarterfinals against Italy, but Moyuka Uchijima lost the second singles contest to then world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini before Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi were beaten in a decisive doubles battle.

"That was a disappointing experience," Uchijima said. "I want to get back to the finals and win this time. To do so, I'll do my best in the qualifiers."

Later Thursday, Romania and Canada also held separate press conferences.

Romania has brought a younger squad to Tokyo, with three of the five playing in the team competition for the first time, after losing to Japan in the first round of the finals.

"We had such a good week of trainings," said Anca Todoni, the highest-ranked player on Romania's latest team at No. 88. "We got to know each other even better, and we managed to work as a team so good. I'm really positive about this weekend."

Canada's captain Heidi El Tabakh expects a "very tough" battle against Japan.

"(Aoi) Ito plays very different. We're going to have to adjust to her if she ends up playing. They have a really good doubles team as well. It's a big challenge, but we're ready and we're up for it," El Tabakh said.

The 20-year-old Ito, currently the third-highest ranked Japanese player at world No. 104 behind 51st-ranked Uchijima and 56th-ranked Naomi Osaka, is known for her unorthodox style.

Former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka will miss the qualifiers due to an abdominal injury.