Lleyton Hewitt captured his first title in more than two years when he defeated American Wayne Odesnik 6-2, 7-5 in the US men's Clay Court Championships on Sunday.
Hewitt, 28, who has battled back from hip surgery last year, won in just over two hours for his 27th career title and just his second on clay.
"It feels great," the Australian former world number one told reporters. "It's always nice to get back in the winner's circle.
"This is what the hard work is for, to play weeks like this and to have this kind of feeling at the end of them."
Odesnik held a 5-3 lead in the second set but Hewitt won the next four games to take the match.
The Australian's run of injuries last year culminated in the first season in a decade where he failed to capture a title.
The former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion began the week ranked 88 but will move to around 56 after winning his first title since Las Vegas in March 2007.
Odesnik will climb 27 spots to a career-best 73 after his runner-up finish.
"My first ATP final is a bit disappointing, but Lleyton's won many titles and at the end of the week, I still made the final, which is a good week," the 23-year-old said.
"He's one of the greatest returners in the sport. I think his ranking is 70 or 80, but he's been injured and if you look at his results every time he's healthy and playing, he's a top 10 player.
