After a weak conclusion to his 2014 season, David Ferrer has been dominant so far in 2015, as he managed to win his third ATP World Tour title of the year with a straight sets victory over Kei Nishikori in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

Ferrer, 32, has now won four titles at this tournament, with the latest one coming against the Japanese No. 1 – a player seven years younger than he is. He struck 11 winners and handled 40 unforced errors from Nishikori to defeat him 6-3, 7-5 in 1 hour and 49 minutes.

“Tonight I played my best match this week,” said Ferrer. “For sure. I played very aggressive, without mistakes. I’m very happy. To win here a fourth time is a dream.

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“I tried to play my forehand to his forehand and with more energy. In important moments, he made more mistakes and I took my chances. I feel very confident with my tennis now. I’ve won three tournaments this year and we’ve only began the season.”

Ferrer, who improved to 18-1 this season with his title win, took home $343,000 in prize money and 500 Ranking points, while Nishikori received $154,620 in prize money along with 300 points. Nishikori, however, is expected to rise to world No. 4 in the ATP rankings, which means he will overtake Nadal for that slot, while Andy Murray moves up to No. 3.

“There were too many unforced errors,” Nishikori said. “I tried to be aggressive but I was missing too much. Especially with this slower surface, he gets everything. I knew I had to step in a little more, but it wasn’t my day.

“I fought hard from 0-3 (in the second set) and tried to come back, but he was too good. It was definitely a great week, I had some tough matches and it’s always a great feeling coming through to a final.”