Martina Hingis claimed her first title in more than four years on Sunday by beating Dinara Safina to claim the Internazionali d'Italia crown in Rome.

The Swiss former world number one, who returned from self-imposed retirement last December, overcame the Russian 6-2 7-5 to claim her first piece of silverware since winning in Tokyo in February 2002.

Safina, seeded 16, beat Kim Clijsters on her way to the final but her game fell apart against Hingis, who was a comfortable winner.

Hingis will be among the favourites for the French Open which starts in Paris on May 28.

Hingis is set to climb to 14th in the world on Monday.

She broke into the top 400 in January, had soared into the top 50 by February and now cracks the top 20.

This was her second final of the year, the Swiss Miss having also reached the Tokyo Open title match, and the 25-year-old, who won the women's singles at Wimbledon in 1997, was delighted with her 41st career singles crown.

"I almost feel like I won my first title," she said.

Before Roland Garros, Hingis will allow herself to mark the achievement appropriately, and that is likely to mean rewarding herself with some time away from the practice courts.

"At least I can sleep tomorrow," she said. "I think I might even have a glass of wine to celebrate."