Britain's Tim Henman swept past Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 6-4 to capture his 10th career singles title at the $600,000 Washington Classic on Sunday.
Henman, who upset second seed Andy Roddick in the semi-finals, last raised a singles trophy in January 2002 in Adelaide, Australia.
The 28-year-old Briton hit his stride early, breaking Gonzalez in his first two service games and seizing the first set. Tenth seed Henman broke serve again at the beginning of the second set and held on for the win.
Gonzalez, who defeated top seed Andre Agassi in the semi-finals, was visibly frustrated during the 97-minute final, twice delayed by summer rainstorms in the U.S. capital.
After failing to break Henman's serve early in the second set, the fourth-seeded Chilean threw his racket to the ground and smashed a ball across the court.
Henman remained calm throughout, seeming to ignore a raucous group of Chilean fans in the upper level of the open-air stadium. He said later he had worked hard to set the pace of the match.
AMAZING SHOTS
"When I lost to (Gonzalez) in Cincinnati, the last time we played, I got very frustrated with the way the match was going. One of my objectives today was to be mentally very strong and make sure I didn't give anything in that department," the Briton told reporters.
"I knew he was going to hit some amazing shots, spectacular winners, and I knew he was going to make some unforced errors, and I wanted to make him work as hard as I could make him on every point."
Gonzalez said Henman surprised him with his strong baseline performance early in the match.
"I didn't have too many chances. I was always down in score and I didn't feel I could come back. I tried and tried but I couldn't make it," he said.
But the 23-year-old was pleased with his showing in Washington, particularly his win over Agassi.
"Yesterday I played with the best baseline player in the world and today I played with the best volleyer in the world," said Gonzalez, smiling.
Henman, who had shoulder surgery last November, last reached a tournament final at Queen's Club in London 14 months ago.
He and Gonzalez will meet again on Tuesday in the first round of the Tennis Masters Montreal. Before Sunday's final, Gonzalez had won two of their previous three contests.
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