BEIJING - Top-seeded Novak Djokovic defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-2, 6-4 on Monday to defend his China Open title and claim his second championship of the year heading into this week's ATP Masters in Shanghai.
In the women's final, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki beat No. 3 Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Djokovic, ranked No. 2 in the world, cruised through the first set of the match that had been postponed because of rain Sunday, but fell behind 4-2 in the second.At 4-3, the eighth-ranked Ferrer battled to hold serve and defend his lead, but Djokovic was relentless, breaking him to even the set and, two games later, win the match.
"I started off really well but then I lost the momentum. I kind of lost the rhythm, got him back into the match with some unforced errors," said Djokovic, who converted four of six break points while being broken only once to wrap up the match in 1 hour, 24 minutes.
"It wasn't a really nice looking match from both sides. We made a lot of unforced errors, especially him. He made my life a little bit easier at the end of the second set, where, with his unforced errors, I got back into the set," the Serb said.
Wozniacki converted three of her four break points. Zvonareva led 3-1 in the first set before losing five straight games. Wozniacki broke Zvonareva twice to start the third set to take a 3-0 lead.
"I thought in general I played a really, really good match," Wozniacki said. "I just stayed focused, I kept running, I tried to keep the pressure on her, tried to keep her moving and I thought we played a really, really good match."
The China Open is Wozniacki's sixth title this season. After her rise to the top spot in the rankings, the 20-year-old Wozniacki said a Grand Slam title is her next goal.
"I feel like I'm at a very high level and can beat anyone," Wozniacki. "If it doesn't happen next year, I'm still young and have a lot of years ahead of me."
Wozniacki said she plans to rest a few days before warming up for the season ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, later this month.
"I feel like I'm not burned out," she said. "I feel I've done really well in my latest tournaments and I'm looking forward to Doha."
Djokovic, who was runner-up at last month's U.S. Open, said he was pleased with his improved serve, which he said was largely responsible for the run of success he'd experienced since Wimbledon.
The win improves Djokovic's record against Ferrer to 5-4.
Djokovic next faces Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia or Chinese qualifier Zhang Ze on Wednesday at the ATP Masters in Shanghai.
"This is definitely a confidence boost for me. The last two, three months ... feeling much more comfortable and confident on the court, playing the aggressive game and service is working for me, which is a great thing to have," he said. "Let's see if I can keep it up. Energy-wise, I'm fresh."
Ferrer has less time to rest, meeting France's Michael Llodra in Shanghai on Tuesday. He also pointed to the eighth game of the second set as having decided Monday's match.
"I had my chance there, but didn't do it," said the 28-year-old, who reached the final after beating Ljubicic in three sets in Saturday's semis. "Maybe when I lost this game, I lost a little bit my concentration and couldn't come back and play regular again."
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