Gaston Gaudio proved too strong for Fernando Verdasco in the final of the Generali Open as he collected his fifth title of the season with a 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory on Sunday.

It marked the second time in as many years that Gaudio has seen off the challenge of Verdasco in the claycourt tournament.

Last year, he beat him in the semi-finals before eventually losing in the final to Chile's Nicolas Massu.

This time, however, the third-seeded Argentinian went all the way, improving his record to 5-1 in finals this season, all on clay.

The only loss came to teenage star Rafael Nadal last week in Stuttgart.

Temperatures have been searing this week in Kitzbuhel and Gaudio may have had an edge in stamina over Verdasco.

The 2004 French Open champion dropped just two games in his semi-final defeat of compatriot Mariano Zabaleta on Saturday, while Verdasco was pushed to three sets in his surprise win over last year's champion Massu.

Gaudio has now improved to an impressive 43-8 on clay this year and only Nadal has more wins and a better record on the slower surface.

A native of Spain, Verdasco was playing in his first final this season.