Nishikori wins Brisbane International

NHK -- Jan 07

In tennis, Japan's Kei Nishikori has clinched his first title in almost three years by winning the men's singles final at the Brisbane International tournament in Australia.

The world's ninth-ranked player Nishikori beat 16th-placed Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on Sunday.

The event is considered a prelude to the Australian Open-- the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments-- that starts in mid-January.

Second-seeded Nishikori won the first three matches in straight sets before facing 22-year-old Medvedev in the final.

Nishikori had played Medvedev twice before, winning once and losing once.

Their most recent match-up was last October in Tokyo, when Medvedev defeated Nishikori in straight sets in the final.