The Spanish tennis player Alex Corretja has won the Swiss Open in Gstaad by defeating Argentina's Gaston Gaudio in the finals on Sunday.

By beating Gaudio 6-3, 7-6, the eight-seeded player won his first title of the season.

Corretja, who was playing in his first tournament since his semi-final exit at the French Open last month, became the first player since his compatriot, Sergi Bruguera, to win three titles in Gstaad. He won the tournament in 1998 and 2000.

His victory marked the 10th time in 12 years that a Spanish player wins the Swiss Open in Gstaad. Only Yevgeny Kafelnikov from Russia in 1995 and Jiri Novak from the Czech Republic in 2001 have interrupted Spain's reign in Gstaad.

Corretja displayed remarkable form after playing late into the evening on Saturday after his semi-final against Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek was interrupted for almost six hours due to rain.

Gaudio, who is currently 17th in the ATP champions race, had been seeking a third title this season after back-to-back wins in Barcelona and Mallorca.

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