Society

Nishikori wins Brisbane International

Jan 07 (NHK) - 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.

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