Nikolay Davydenko extended his winning record against Fernando Verdasco to six victories from seven matches as he clinched the inaugural Proton Malaysian Open title in Kuala Lumpur.
Davydenko lived up to his billing as the top seed as he saw off the Spaniard, seeded second, 6-4 7-5 for his third ATP Tour title of the season.
The Russian claimed the only break of the first set and then saved set points in the second before breaking in the 11th game and serving out the victory.
Both players are in contention for the remaining three spots at the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month, with Davydenko extending his lead over Verdasco to more than 200 points thanks to his win.
The world number eight admitted it had been a bit of a struggle, saying: "I feel very tired. In the first set we played difficult points. In the second set the points were getting shorter.
"Just the first game of the match took 10 minutes. It was hard to recover in between points. I don't think I am in my best shape physically but I am improving every week."
Verdasco was playing in his first tournament since the US Open following a foot injury and was left frustrated by his failure to make the most of his chances.
"I think I had many opportunities during the match," he said.
"He just played better in some of the important points and in the second set I couldn't convert the set points, which could have changed the outcome of the match."
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