When Flavio Saretta began the defence of his XL Capital Bermuda Open title he was a self-confessed bag of nerves.

In retaining his trophy in a straight sets victory (6-1, 6-4) over Chile's Nicolas Massu in yesterday's final he was a man brimming with confidence.

What a difference a week makes.

If you had witnessed his opening set against French qualifier Sebastien De Chaunac you might have wondered whether he would reach the end of the day, never mind the final Sunday.

But as that match wore on the 22-year-old became better and better, easing into the second round with a three set win.

His next opponent, Paul Goldstein, lasted just two sets, Saretta winning 6-4, 6-3, and thoughts of doing the double began to creep in.

They were at the forefront of his mind when he despatched Bjorn Phau in the quarters 6-2, 6-4, and then swept past Harel Levy 6-2, 6-0 in the semis.

So when he came out yesterday it was no surprise that he grabbed the bull by the horns from the off.

He took 23-year-old Massu all the way in the opener on the Chilean's serve, held his own without conceding a point and then broke his rival in the third by extending him to one side of the court and forcing him to put the ball into the net.

Holding his serve again, Saretta romped into a 3-1 lead and he extended the gap a game later when he once again broke Massu.

It was 5-1 with a rocket of an ace and although Massu saved three set points in the seventh game, Saretta took it when the former sent a return wide.

Saretta, whose slight frame belies his innate power, began the second set where he left off in the first, holding serve in the opener.

Massu, though, had not come to the final to spectate and began to show some of the fight that had got him this far, holding his serve in the second.

Suddenly, the crowd began to warm to the underdog and he seemed to feed off the energy, breaking Saretta in the third and then holding his own in the next.

The next two games were shared and Massu held a two game advantage going into the seventh.

However, in the few moments it took to switch servers the pendulum began to swing back the other way. Saretta held serve and then Massu put a backhand return into the net to tie the set at 4-4.

Saretta was re-energised and he pumped his fist as he went ahead 5-4.

It was crunch time for Massu now. He had to hold firm or lose the match.

Things started badly, a backhand return went into the net and that was followed a by a wide return.

But when Saretta returned long, put another into the net and Massu moved to 40-30 with an ace there was just a hint that he might extend to his time on Centre Court.

However, the key moment came in the next exchange. Massu served, Saretta returned and, for a nanosecond, Massu thought it was long and pulled away his racquet. By the time he realised it was good it was too late to get anything on the ball and Saretta was handed match point.

The end was swift, Massu sending a return long and enabling Saretta to become the first back-to-back champion since Hernan Gumy in 1998 and 1999.

Reflecting on his path to the title, Saretta said he had felt a lot of pressure on his arrival.

"In my first match there was a lot of pressure because I was the defending champion," he said. "I didn't play very good tennis in the first set but it got better in the middle of the second set and in the third set.

"Then once I was through the first round my confidence increased and the pressure was less and I started to play very, very well in my other matches and today, I played perfect."

Saretta said, yesterday, it was important to show Massu that he meant business from the off.

"When you play against a guy who you know will give you a tough match if you break him at the beginning of the set you are not as nervous," he said. "If you are 2-2 and 3-3 that's when you start to get nervous so to break him is very important."

Saretta said he felt that the margin of victory in the opening set was not reflective of the calibre of his opponent.

"I won 6-1 but it is not normal against a guy like him," he said. "I knew it was going to be tough in the second set and the match might go to the third set. He broke me in the third game but I kept focused and concentrated, knowing what I needed to do.

"When I broke him again it was good for me and was able to think that I could win the match in two sets."

Saretta said he put all his effort into what turned out to be the final game.

"With the match at 5-4 I knew the next game was very important. If I win that game I win the match. If I don't it's 5-5 and it's going to be difficult," he said. "I started very well. I was at love-30 and then he produced two big serves and it was 30-all. But I knew I was only two points away and I believed I could win."

Last year Saretta brought his girlfriend to Bermuda, but this time around he travelled with coach Joao Zwetsch and as a result he was "more focused".

As soon as he had beaten Massu and shaken his opponent's hand, the next flesh he pressed was that of Zwetsch.

"After my family, he is the most important person in my life," Saretta said. "He travels with me all year. He has his own family and a little son and he left them in Brazil.

"Today, is Easter and he told me at the beginning of the match `we would prefer to be with our families on Easter Sunday but we are together, so let's stay happy and try to win the match'."

Massu, meanwhile, admitted he was beaten by the better man.

"I was a little bit tired after yesterday (Saturday) and I made a lot of mistakes in some important points," he said. "The important points I played so badly and, at this level, if you make bad mistakes sometimes you lose."