Kei Nishikori defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3 to win bronze at the Rio Olympics on Sunday for Japan's first tennis medal in almost a century.
World No. 7 Nishikori, as he's been known to do, did it the hard way in becoming the first Japanese tennis medalist since Ichiya Kumagai at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. The victory was only Nishikori's second against Beijing 2008 champion Nadal in 11 career meetings.
A day after being taken to school by Briton Andy Murray, Nishikori was far more competitive against a tired Nadal, who, counting the men's doubles he won with fellow Spaniard Marc Lopez, was playing in his 11th match in Rio.