Third seed Mario Ancic beat holder Thomas Johansson 7-5, 7-6 in the St Petersburg [ Images ] Open final on Sunday to clinch his second title of the year.

The Croat, making his debut in Russia's [ Images ] northern capital, broke Johansson's serve in the 11th game to take the first set.

The second set was just as close with the players trading breaks to force a tiebreak which Ancic won 7-2 to deny the Swede his third St Petersburg crown. The Croat also kept alive his hopes of qualifying for next month's season-ending Masters Cup.

Ancic earned a $142,000 first prize plus 38 points in the ATP Race, moving him up to number 10 with 387 points, 23 behind eighth-placed Spaniard Tommy Robredo [ Images ].

The top eight secure a place at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.