Rafael Nadal will return to number one in the world rankings on Monday after reaching the final of the China Open.
The Spaniard, 27, was leading fourth seed Tomas Berdych 4-2 in the first set of their semi-final when his Czech opponent was forced to retire injured.
Nadal, who won the French Open and US Open this year, was last top of the rankings  in July 2011.
Current world number one Novak Djokovic will play French fifth seed Richard Gasquet in Saturday's other semi-final.
Nadal returned to action in February after eight months on the sidelines with knee problems.