TENNIS: Medvedev beats Nakashima to win Brisbane Open

Daniil Medvedev beat Brandon Nakashima 6-2 7-6(1) to lift the Brisbane Open title on Sunday, starting the 2026 season on a strong note in the buildup to the Australian Open.

The victory marked Medvedev's 22nd ATP title -- at 22 different events -- and his first since the former world number one ended an 882-day wait for a title with a win over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final in October last year.

The 2021 U.S. Open champion dedicated the win to his coaching staff and family, having missed his daughter's first birthday to play in the tournament.

"I want to dedicate this to my family who could not make it to Australia, as it's too far from my home," Medvedev said at the presentation ceremony.

"It's 23 hours from where I live and with two young kids, it's not easy. I decided to play in tournament and I stuck with the decision.

"But my daughter had her birthday when I was here - so I dedicate this to her first birthday. This (trophy) is a bit too heavy for her, though."

It was Medvedev's second appearance in Brisbane with the 29-year-old finishing as a runner-up in 2019 while it is also his first title win in a season-opening tournament since winning Sydney in 2018.

Medvedev, a three-times Australian Open finalist, started the match on a strong note with punishing baseline exchanges. However, he made a double fault and then dropped another serve into the net at set point to open door for his opponent.

But Nakashima committed multiple unforced errors of his own and the Russian took the first set with blistering aces.

Medvedev had to dig deep late in the second set as he let two match points slip on serve at 5-4. But he quickly regrouped, dominating the tiebreak to seal the win.

The Australian Open will kick off from January 18, and Medvedev will hope to continue his dominant start to the season in Melbourne.

-Karan Prashant Saxena/Reuters