Rafael Nadal may be set to overtake Novak Djokovic and regain the world number one spot but he was beaten by his rival in the China Open final.
An inspired Djokovic won 6-3 6-4 against his Spanish opponent, who will move to the top of the men's rankings on Monday after reaching the final.
The Serb secured one break in each set on the way to victory.
Nadal failed to engineer a break point as his run of 21 matches unbeaten came to an end in Beijing.
The victory will provide some satisfaction to Djokovic, who won the China Open for a fourth time.
He started strongly to set the tone for the match by breaking Nadal's first service game to race into a 3-0 lead.
The break proved crucial as the Serb produced some impressive tennis, with the timing and depth of his strokes not allowing Nadal the chance to get his game going.
Djokovic dragged Nadal out wide with his serve and struck a powerful forehand into open space to wrap up the opening set after 35 minutes.
The start of the second set saw Djokovic immediately break the Spaniard again and he continued to hold the initiative in commanding style.
He took the following game to love and, as Nadal struggled to put pressure on his serve, went on to secure an emphatic win.
- BBC.co.uk
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