KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)—Top-seededed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia defeated Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-4, 7-5 to win the Malaysia Open on Sunday.
Davydenko extended his record to 6-1 over Verdasco and gave him a third title this year. He also won the German Open in Hamburg and Croatia Open in Umag.
“I played well but there were lucky points,” Davydenko said. “If it had gone into the third set, I don’t know what would have happened.”
The second-seeded Verdasco praised his Russian opponent.
“I want to congratulate Davydenko. He played very well. It was a great match but not so great for me,” Verdasco said. “The tournament is unbelievable and I hope to come back next year.”
Verdasco is set to join Davydenko in the field for the China Open in Beijing from Oct. 5.