Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro ended top seed David Ferrer's reign as Japan Open champion with a 6-1, 7-5 quarter-final victory on Frida
y.
The fifth-seeded Del Potro, who recently helped his country reach the David Cup final, tore through the first set in just 27 minutes against a listless Ferrer.
The Spanish world number five, looking for back-to-back victories at the $969,000 Tokyo tournament, lifted his game in the second but ran into a red-hot opponent.
Ferrer, who suffered an embarrassing early exit in Beijing last week, had little left in the tank against a player he is set to meet again in next month's Davis Cup final in Argentina.
Sensing Ferrer's energy levels were low, the 20-year-old moved in for the kill as the Spaniard served at 5-6, finishing off the match with a crushing forehand into the corner.
A fifth title of the year would move Del Potro into the coveted eighth spot in the year-long rankings and in line for a place at the season-ending Masters Cup.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have already qualified for the prestigious eight-man Shanghai shootout.
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