Davydenko surprises himself

World No 7 downed Australian Open champion Nadal, world No 1 Federer and US Open winner del Potro for season-ending title.

Davydenko last played Porto, and won, in the final of this same event last year too.

Russia's Nikolay Davydenko won the ATP World Tour Finals title with a straight sets victory over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro at London's O2 Arena. Last year's beaten finalist Davydenko won 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 24 minutes to claim the season-ending title, disputed among the world's top eight players.

The win meant Davydenko jumped up the rankings to finish the season as the world No 6, while Del Potro remains at number five. Davydenko became the first Russian to win the season-ending tournament. "Coming here as No 7 and winning the tournament, I surprised myself," said Davydenko, who downed the Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal, French Open and Wimbledon title holder Roger Federer and US Open champion del Potro en route to claiming the title. Both finalists finished second in their groups.

The pair had only met three times before, with their last clash coming in the round-robin stage of this tournament last year. Davydenko triumphed in a 6-3, 6-2 victory in Shanghai. The win meant Davydenko won all five finals he contested this season, while Potro won three and lost two. The match was dominated by full-blooded baseline rallies, with Davydenko looking the most dangerous in the first set, making greater inroads on the Argentinian's serve and mixing up the play with drop shots. * AFP