( CNN ) -- History was made on two fronts when Joao Sousa beat Julien Benneteau to win the Malaysian Open . While Sousa celebrated becoming the first Portuguese man to claim an ATP title , Benneteau was n't nearly as joyous . He slumped to 0-9 in finals to tie the unwanted men 's record in the Open era , which began in 1968 . Is he tennis ' unlucky loser ? Benneteau 's fellow Frenchman , Cedric Pioline , and American Pat Dupre also lost their first nine finals , although Pioline went on to triumph five times -- he was a two-time grand slam finalist -- and Dupre ended his drought in Hong Kong in 1982 . No man has lost his first 10 finals in the Open era , said the ATP . Benneteau was so close to overturning his woe in finals , too , holding a match point in the second set Sunday against Sousa . He did little wrong on the point , approaching the net with a good forehand , but Sousa unleashed a stunning forehand down the line . Benneteau then wasted a flurry of break points in the final set and fell 2-6 7-5 6-4 . French sports daily L'Equipe used the headline , 'Benneteau , nothing new , ' when referring to his defeat on its website , and the player tweeted a picture of what looked like a beer accompanied by the words : 'To forget . ' `` I tried everything today , '' Benneteau , 31 , told the ATP 's website . `` I played very well , particularly I was very aggressive and I did n't let him play for two sets almost . I had match point and I played the point perfectly . `` It 's hard , it 's very hard . I was leading the match , but this is tennis . '' Sousa could n't stop smiling during the trophy presentation but spared a thought for Benneteau . `` I knew ( about Benneteau 's previous finals ) , '' he told the ATP 's website . `` I feel bad for him . '' That Sousa , 24 , trumped compatriots Michelle Larcher de Brito and Gastao Elias by winning a title came as a surprise , since Larcher de Brito was a top prospect reared at Nick Bollettieri 's famed academy in Florida and Elias once ranked sixth as a junior . But Sousa , mentored by Rafael Nadal 's part-time coach Francisco Roig , entered Kuala Lumpur in good form , reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg . He upset top-seed David Ferrer en route to the final in Kuala Lumpur and is now Portugal 's highest-ranked player at No . 51 . `` People can start to know Portuguese tennis and I think that 's great , '' said Sousa . Top two in Beijing . Nadal will almost certainly reclaim the No . 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic during the Asian swing and both see action Tuesday at the China Open . Djokovic meets Nadal 's conqueror at Wimbledon in 2012 , Lukas Rosol , and Nadal faces Colombian Santiago Giraldo . Lleyton Hewitt was among the winners on the opening day of competition in Beijing as he beat German Tommy Haas in straight sets . Fellow Australian Bernard Tomic also advanced after seeing off China 's No.1 Ze Zhang . In the women 's tournament , Germany 's Andrea Petkovic knocked out Belarusian second seed Victoria Azarenka . The momentum swung between the two players but it was Petkovic who won the decisive third set , taking the last two games to love to claim a 6-4 2-6 6-4 win . `` It was an awful match and a very bad performance from me , so there 's not much to say about it , '' said U.S. Open runner-up Azarenka . `` I do n't feel like I was ready to play - the preparation was n't enough , I can not deny that . It 's my mistake for not paying enough attention after the U.S .Open how I managed my time and managed my health . ''
Julien Benneteau slumped to 0-9 in finals after losing a thriller against Joao Sousa . Benneteau had a match point in Kuala Lumpur in the second set but then lost in three . Sousa became the first Portuguese man to ever win an ATP title . Rafael Nadal can reclaim the No . 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic this week in Beijing .