Medvedev showed enough in Brisbane to warn the rest of the draw, even when he looked like he was on a practice court with a trophy waiting.
The Russian beat Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6(1) to win the Brisbane International in a match that lasted an hour and 34 minutes and mixed sharp serving with the occasional loose patch from both players.
Medvedev Controls Early
“I want to dedicate this to my family,”
Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev exploded out of the blocks, racing to a 3-0 lead as his first serve was firing and Nakashima struggled to find rhythm against relentless depth and pace.
Nakashima rallied to get on the scoreboard and even earned a break point, but a couple of loose errors returned Medvedev to control and the Russian closed the opening set with blistering aces and steady baseline pressure.
The champion’s demeanor all week raised eyebrows because he often reacted to missed shots with an almost indifferent shrug, yet that casual exterior hid enough weaponry to keep Nakashima out of true contention for long stretches of the final.
Second-Set Drama And The Trophy
The second set tightened, with Medvedev at times playing out of rhythm and even double faulting when serving for the match at 5-4, only to regroup and dominate the tie-break to seal the title.
Medvedev allowed two championship points to slip on serve before quickly refocusing and running away with the breaker, finishing the match with the official scoreline of 6-2, 7-6(1) after one hour and 34 minutes.
The win in Brisbane also marked his 22nd tour-level crown, a milestone that underlines both his consistency and the unusual fact that all of those titles have come at different events around the tour.
What This Means For Melbourne
Medvedev’s form arriving into the Australian Open is a narrative thread many will follow, especially after he added momentum following an October title in Almaty and work with coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke.
Nakashima leaves Brisbane having reached his fourth tour-level final without dropping a set earlier in the week, and he will take confidence despite the loss, departing Australia at No. 31 in the live rankings and still only 24 years old.
The Australian crowd briefly roared when Nakashima threatened late, and his movement caused Medvedev moments of visible frustration, which the American turned into chances before errors crept back into his game at crucial times.
Doubles honors went to Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler, who beat Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3, 3-6, 10-8, while in the inaugural wheelchair singles competition British top seed Alfie Hewett beat Martín de la Puente 6-3, 6-1.
Medvedev’s tactical experiments in Brisbane included trying the drop shot more often, a weapon that will need polishing if he expects it to trouble the very best on the tour at Melbourne Park next week.
The tactical mix and the raw serving still give Medvedev a clear path to be a major threat in Australia, and his habit of saving himself in tense moments suggests he will not be short on belief when the big matches arrive in Melbourne.
For Nakashima the loss is a learning moment; Medvedev now leads their head to head 3-0, a small but telling sample that the American will want to overturn as he continues his climb through the tour ranks.
On balance, Brisbane provided the kind of match practice and confidence both players wanted, with Medvedev taking the trophy but Nakashima leaving with evidence he can push elite opponents and build on his best runs.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
