Del Porto denies Ferrer a repeat

Argentina's Juan Martin Del Porto denied David Ferrer a chance to defend his Japan Open title, beating the top seed in straight sets in the quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old Del Porto – ranked 12th in the world after a blistering summer that saw him win four titles – powered his way into the semi-finals with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over the world No5.

In today's semi-finals, Del Porto will play Richard Gasquet, who dismissed 2003 champion Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-2.

Second seed Andy Roddick, fresh off a victory at the China Open last weekend, will face ninth seed Tomas Berdych in the other semi-final.

Roddick breezed past Viktor Troicki, 6-3, 6-4, while Berdych pulled off a 6-0, 6-4 upset win over third seed Fernando Gonzalez.

"When you play against a good player ranked No5, if you win easily, it's not normal. I prepared for everything, for every shot," said Del Porto.

"He runs till the final ball, but I did a good first set. In the second, he started to play better and it was more difficult, but finally I broke him and won the match."

Del Porto attributed his success to changes in his game and mindset. "I've improved a lot. I won two tournaments on hard courts and reached the quarter-finals at the US Open. I did many things to change my game. That's the reason, I think," said Del Porto.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.