SPANIARD DAVID FERRER was forced to three sets by Alexandr Dolgopolov before clinching his home Valencia Open on Sunday.
The world number five, who hails from nearby Alicante, made it six wins from seven tour finals this season despite dropping the second set, 6-1 3-6 6-4.
Ferrer was on song in the first set against his 21st-ranked opponent, registering a break in the fourth game before holding to love to clinch the opener.
But the Ukrainian would not lie down and took the early break in the second to race out to a 3-0 lead and held out to force a deciding set.
Dolgopolov had two glorious break-point opportunities at 3-3 in the third set but Ferrer was able to hold on and then forced a series of errors from the Ukrainian to take the match.
The ever-consistent Ferrer has had one of his best seasons. His the only blemish has been an inability to crack the top four regularly in grand slams, with semi-final appearances at the French Open and US Open his best efforts.
