Kei Nishikori snaps losing streak in APT finals as he clinches the final Brisbane International for men

It’s been 10 years in the making, so it seemed only appropriate that Japan’s Kei Nishikori won the final Brisbane International for men when he beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

He played the first Brisbane International 10 years ago and on Sunday night Kei Nishikori forged a performance which made him its last men’s champion.

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Nishikori first played in Brisbane in the inaugural year of the tournament, making a quarter-final in 2009 as the world No. 61 and on Sunday night he won the last point played by a man in it.

Japan’s world No. 9, a runner-up in the Pat Rafter Arena final two years ago, on Sunday night took out a Brisbane title at his eighth attempt with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, of Russia.

“I’m happy to finally win this tournament,’’ Nishikori said. “I’m happy to be healthy and play this tournament again. I lost last year in Japan (to Medvedev) so lovely to have revenge today.’’

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The Brisbane International will become an annual women’s only tournament from the first week of 2020, with some sessions expected to be augmented with ATP Cup men’s matches.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tipped her hand on Sunday night about an announcement on Monday about tournament tennis in Brisbane.

Kei Nishikori on his way to beating Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev.

The Courier-Mail reported on Friday that Brisbane had missed out to Sydney on staging the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the 24-nation ATP Cup men’s competition.

The Queensland Tennis Centre will stage round-robin ties for national teams of up to five men in the January 3-12 ATP Cup, which will conclude at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena under a $50 million renovation announced by the NSW Government.

“We have an announcement tomorrow about an even bigger event for next year,’’ Palaszczuk said.

Kei Nishikori plays a backhand in the men’s final.

Nishikori, 29, also ends a run of nine losses in ATP finals, stretching back 51 tournaments.

The Japanese star re-entered the top 10 last year following a serious wrist injury and said on Saturday he has designs on achieving top-five ranking this year, as he did in 2015.

In his second visit to Brisbane in 2012, Niskhori was beaten in the second round, then made the semi-finals in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the quarter-finals in 2016 and the final in 2017.

With a December 29 birthday, he has blown out a lot of candles in Brisbane.

Kei Nishikori celebrates his first crown after nine consecutive losses in ATP finals.

Nishikori lost the first three games of the final but started to solve the Medvedev serve in ways which the Russian’s semi-final victim, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, was not, setting terms most of the rallies.

Medvedev bounced his racquet in dismay when he failed to break serve at 2-1 in the second set, but saved eight break points in it to take the final into a deciding set.

The Russian made two forehand errors to fall behind 3-1 in the third set

The department of Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones last week refused to comment on whether it had reached agreement with Tennis Australia on financial support for the ATP Cup and also the continuing WTA Brisbane International.

TA and the NSW Government have alerted the media in Sydney to an announcement on Monday.

In the Brisbane men’s doubles final, New Zealander Marcus Daniell and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof beat American Rajeev Ram and Britain’s Joe Salisbury 6-4 7-6 (8-6).

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