Stan Wawrinka claimed a second ATP title of the year with a 6-4 7-6 victory over unseeded Marcos Baghdatis at the Dubai Championships.
A match low on quality - with 79 unforced errors - caught fire late in the second set culminating in an epic tie break that Wawrinka clinched 15-13 after a string of missed opportunities for Baghdatis.
The Cypriot was chasing a first ATP title since 2010 but it proved to be beyond him as Wawrinka's superior consistency was enough to suppress his opponent, who offered only minor glimpses of the irrepressible talent he can produce on occasions.
For the Swiss it followed a victory in Chennai earlier in the year and a remarkable ninth successive victory in ATP finals.
After a couple of comfortable early holds from both players it was Baghdatis who edged ahead, breaking in the fifth game of the match only to see Wawrinka hit back immediately.
With the game back on serve in the tenth game, a fourth and fifth double fault handed Wawrinka three break points and with it set points, but Baghdatis rallied to save all three.
With the Cypriot clearly struggling with his serve it was no surprise when Wawrinka clinched the opener at the fifth time of asking thanks to Baghdatis' sixth double fault of the match.
With the crowd on his side the world number 57 wasted little time in rallying himself and the supporters with a fabulous cross-court volley in the opening point of the second set - which even drew the applause of his opponent.
Seemingly free of the nerves that inhibited him throughout the first set, Baghdatis began to throw himself around the court, but mixed some thrilling play with some wayward shots.
Despite his first serve problems, down at 41% midway through the second set, Baghdatis managed to hold on to his first three service games, mainly due to some untidy play from the second seed who was far from his best.
An improvement of the Baghdatis serve ensured the set was nip and tuck throughout, with Wawrinka surviving a potential scare in the seventh; rallying from 0-30 on his serve with four impressive points and a more dominant look to his game.
After a strong hold to love from the Swiss the pressure was on Baghdatis but he held impressively to level the second set at 5-5.
A magnificent forehand and an equally stunning backhand from Wawrinka wasn't enough to break Baghdatis and the second set headed into a tie-break, which was to offer some of the most exciting moments of the match.
The Swiss ace broke in both of Baghdatis' opening service games in the breaker and was soon 4-1 in front, before Baghdatis rallied to get the first set point at 6-5 - Wawrinka held both his serves to force his first Championship point
Set points came and went for Baghdatis including a first on his own serve at 9-8 and another at 10-9 before Wawrinka clinched the title on his fourth championship point.
"It's been an amazing year. I'm playing my best tennis since a few years now so hopefully I can keep this level," Wawrinka said.
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