SPORTS> Tennis
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SPORTS> Tennis
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Ferrer ambushed by Del Potro in Tokyo
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-03 15:09 TOKYO - 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 Friday. 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. Del Potro broke for 5-3 only for Ferrer to claw back the break in the next game but was unable to repel the Argentine's onslaught for long. 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. Del Potro faces either French fourth seed Richard Gasquet or 12th seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany in Saturday's semi-finals in Tokyo. American Andy Roddick, seeded two, and third seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile were playing in later quarter-finals.
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