Fernando Gonzalez claimed his second Vina del Mar singles title on Sunday following a 7-5 6-4 victory over Gustavo Kuerten.

The fifth seed, who had not dropped a set en route to the final, surged past the Brazilian to the delight of the 5,000-capacity crowd who had turned up to cheer on their local hero.

It was Gonzalez's first title since 2002, when he first won at Vina del Mar and also in Palermo, and the Chilean was quick to point out how important the tournament is to him after missing the event last year.

"To play here in Vina makes me feel very good," he said. "I have more experience and can handle it better. "Before they could take a set out of me just with their name but now I have a lot of confidence.

"This was the best match of the tournament and I believe I am doing things right. The results hopefully will follow."

A disappointed Kuerten admitted that he had taken heart from his performance on clay after failing to shine on the surface last year.

"I have two goals for this season, to play well consistently and win again on clay," he said.

"I did not have the result I wanted although I am happy since I made it to this final and only lost to a Chilean player at home."

In the doubles final, Juan Ignacio Chela and Gaston Gaudio claimed their first doubles titles by defeating Nicolas Lapentti and Martin Rodriguez 7-6 7-6.

"We want to thank everybody who came to see the final. This is a great sport and we have fun playing with all these people," said Chela.