Del Potro looked weary after his epic three-set semifinal win over Swede Robin Soderling the previous night.
Fordham, a four-time semi-finalist, looked down and out when the Dutch superstar raced into a three-set lead.
BBC: SPORT | Other Sport | World Darts 2004 | Fordham stuns Barneveld
George Morgan advanced into the next round of the boy's singles following a three-set win over Roberto Quiroz.
The final offers Nalbandian the chance to atone for his three-set defeat to Federer in the group stages last weekend.
Slovak number seven seed Daniela Hantuchova was defeated in a three-set marathon with Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4 6-7(7-3) 7-6 (7-5).
The three-set 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory also assures Serena of keeping the world number one spot ahead of Russian Dinara Safina.
Hewitt went out of the Monte Carlo Masters in the third round on Thursday, losing a tight three-set encounter with Rainer Schuettler.
The Argentine did not drop his service throughout the three-set match to deny the Swiss maestro a sixth title at the hard court tournament.
He lost only five more games in the three-set match against the man who has won three of his 17 Grand Slam titles by beating Murray.
He finally triumphed 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes against the 27-year-old, who beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in another three-set match on Friday.
"My knee is not sore or anything, which is great because as a three-set match goes it's not going to get any tighter than that, " Philippoussis said.
The Russian will next play 20-year-old American Sloane Stephens, who reached the fourth round for the second successive season with a three-set victory over New Zealand's Marina Erakovic.
The home crowd were left disappointed when eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic recorded a battling three-set win over former world No. 1 and two-time grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt .
Serena had endured a coughing fit and made contorversial accusations of cheating after her three-set victory over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Saturday, but this was a 53-minute stroll.
Soderling, who also dropped just five games in his first-round win against French wildcard Laurent Recouderc, admitted he could not recall playing a three-set match that finished so quickly.
There was a shock on Court 13, where 31st seed Michaella Krajicek, who thrashed Britain's Katie O'Brien in the previous round, beat eighth seed Anna Chakvetadze in a marathon three-set battle.
Serena had made hard work of beating another Russian, Vera Dushevina, in a three-set opener on Monday, but appeared in command against world number 18 Petrova as she won the first set.
Nadal quickly dismissed fears his comprehensive defeat was because of an injury sustained in his marathon match against Moya on Saturday, the longest three-set match on the ATP Tour in 15 years.
Meanwhile, third seed Novak Djokovic, who reached the semi-finals at the Olympic Games before losing a tough three-set battle to Nadal, has admitted he is feeling the effects of flying thousands of miles.
Davydenko, seeded sixth, had begun the week with a thrilling three-set loss to Djokovic in round-robin play, but proceeded to rack up four straight victories, culminating in his emphatic win over fifth-ranked Del Potro.
Organisers had earlier warned the final could be moved to Monday due to the dire conditions but, as the weather cleared, they opted to reduce the final from a five-set contest to a three-set one.
Nadal, who was only troubled in beating Roger Federer's conqueror Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in a three-set semifinal, made no mistake in wrapping up a timely victory as he prepares for the second grand slam of the season in Paris.
CNN: King of clay Nadal claims record-equaling Masters title
Venus Williams lost her first two matches in three-set affairs, and was taken to a decider by Svetlana Kuznetsova for the first time in their eight career encounters before prevailing 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 in two and a half hours.
They were swept in a three-game set in 2007 in their last trip to Denver's downtown ballpark.
The Orioles' only time at Camden Yards so far this season was a three-game set against the Twins.
New York's David Phelps takes the mound against Max Scherzer on Saturday in the middle game of the three-game set.
The UK's fourth biggest network - Three - is set to take over part of EE's 4G spectrum, but is not due to do so until September 2013.
Three parliamentary by-elections have been set for 15 November after three MPs - two Labour and one Conservative - stood down.
应用推荐