Guillermo Coria from Argentina after his semi-final victory over compatriot Gaston Gaudio at the Hamburg Masters Saturday. (Reuters)

Hamburg: Guillermo Coria emulated his namesake Guillermo Vilas by winning the Hamburg Masters on Sunday, outplaying compatriot Agustin Calleri 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on a memorable day for Argentine tennis.

Coria won a one-side contest to become Argentina’s first winner in Hamburg since Vilas himself in 1978.

“I played my best tennis this week,” said Coria, who dropped only one set on his way to the final. The final crowned a great week for Argentina, who had four players in the semi-finals — the first time in a Masters Series tournament that all the players in the last four were from the same country.

“This is great for Argentina,” said Calleri, who fell into the arms of Coria after losing. There is no real schooling programme in Argentina but there is plenty of talent.

The 21-year-old, who had lost to Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters last month, showed more composure when it mattered to take his second career title and the first in the showcase series.

The unseeded Calleri, 26, was playing his first final of a major event and looked nervous, accumulating unforced errors before bowing out with Coria hitting a service winner on the first match point.

Coria, a ferocious baseliner whose recent form makes him a player to watch at the French Open , climbed up to fifth in the Champions Race with a victory that earned him 400,000 euros.

The two players traded early breaks in the first set when Coria managed the telling one in the eighth game and then served for the set, wrapping it up with a clumsy unforced error from his opponent on set point.

The second set was tight until Coria broke Calleri in the ninth game with a forehand

volley to seal the set in the next game courtesy of a backhand wide from his compatriot.

Calleri then lost losing two service games to trail Coria 3-0 in the third set. He fought back by capturing Coria’s serve in the fourth game but Coria was still a break up and stayed in control to take the match after two hours 12 minutes.

Coria served a six-month ban for doping in 2001. He denied any wrongdoing.

Knowles-Nestor best

Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi failed to add to their two titles this season when they were beaten by top seeds and world No. 1 pair of Mark Knowles (Bahamas) and Daniel Nestor (Canada) in the doubles final. The second seeds lost 4-6, 6-7 (10-12). This was the Indo-Belarussian duo’s fifth defeat in eight finals since they first played together a year ago.

Their maiden title was last year’s US Open. Last month, they won back-to-back crowns in Estoril and Monte Carlo.