DUBAI: Roberto Bautista Agut came from a break down in the second set to win his second title of the season on Saturday, beating Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 6-4, at the Dubai Championships.
The Spaniard claimed the eighth trophy of his career with an 81-minute victory over the French second seed.
The loss prevents number 15 Pouille climbing into the ranking top 10 for the first time.
"This is a special win that I'll always remember, I'm so happy that I could win," Bautista Agut said. .
"Lucas is a really good player and has a great future. He's been playing unbelievable this month," he said of the Frenchman who last month won in Montpellier and reached the final in Marseille.
"I've been working hard," the winner said. "I was prepared to manage the emotions. I played very well this week.
Bautista Agut trailed 3-1 in the second set after winning the first, but quickly broke back for 2-3 and then squared the set 3-all.
The 23rd-ranked Spaniard then put Pouille under pressure with three break points and profited from a break for 5-4 before serving out victory a game later on his first match point.
Bautista also won in Auckland in January. He improved to 3-1 against Pouille.