Radek Stepanek battled back from a set down to clinch the Brisbane International title against third seed Fernando Verdasco.

The 30-year-old Czech, seeded eighth at the tournament, had to dig deep to record a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over his Spanish opponent.

The win marked Stepanek's third title on the ATP Tour and his first since lifting the trophy in Los Angeles in 2007.

Verdasco, who was part of Spain's Davis Cup-winning team in 2008, made a lightning start to the contest and opened up a 3-0 lead on his way to taking the first set.

But Stepanek responded with a break of his own in the second set to level the match, before two further breaks in the decider proved enough to clinch the title after two hours and 17 minutes on court.

"It's my third title and my first tournament of the new season," Stepanek said afterwards.

"I have the trophy, so I can't find the words right now. I'm very happy with the way I played this week - I fought from the first point to the last point in every match.

"Three times (in the tournament) I came back from a set down. I played very good tennis and here is the reward for it."