Kei Nishikori won his third title of the season as he beat Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 on Sunday in the final of the Malaysian Open.
The defeat was a bitter blow to Frenchman Benneteau, his tenth loss in a final again denying him a first career trophy and giving him the unwanted record of most finals without a win among active players.
Nishikori recovered from an early break in the opening set to take it out in a tiebreak, before a single service break in the second was enough to see the Japanese US Open finalist lift his third trophy of the year.
The win was the first for an Asian player in Kuala Lumpur.
Nishikori strengthened his bid for a place in the eight-man season finals in London in November, standing a strong provisional sixth in the field.
Three men - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - have already qualified, with five spots up for grabs over the next month of play.
Nishikori continues his quest next week at the Japan Open, which he won in 2012.
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