Xavier Malisse claimed his second ATP title on Sunday with a comprehensive victory over Stefan Koubek in the final of the Chennai Open.

Just 24 hours after upsetting world number two Rafael Nadal in the last four, the third-seeded Belgian strolled to a 6-1 6-3 success over Austrian Koubek to cap an impressive debut in the tournament.

"For me this is a dream start to the year," said Malisse. "It's been a fantastic week. You always want to find your rhythm in the first week of the year. If I can keep playing like this, then I should have a good year."

Malisse, who had not won a tournament since Delray Beach in February 2005, fired six aces while converting 5-of-7 break points.

The Belgian improved to 4-0 all-time against Koubek, who has not captured a title since winning at Doha in the first week of the 2003 campaign.

"Xavier was playing unbelievable tennis from the beginning," Koubek said. "He had a great start and kept on playing unbelievable tennis. I tried to play the tennis I had been playing in the last few days, but it didn't work out as good."

Malisse admitted beating Nadal had done wonders for his self-belief.

He added: "You're always going to have a lot of confidence after beating a player like Nadal. But you have to watch out, as well. In the past I've beaten great players and kind of relaxed the next match.

"I think I've matured in that way, and I knew I had to be ready for the finals. Maybe Stefan didn't play his best today, but I think I had a great start and that made him lose some of the momentum he's had all week."

Koubek, who turned 30 on Tuesday, fell to 3-3 all-time in finals appearances.

"I didn't have a chance until the last game," Koubek said. "But I couldn't take it unfortunately. I wasn't able to turn the match around. He's a great winner. I started out playing aggressive, and then I tried to slow it down. But he had all the answers today."