Top seed Roger Federer won a fourth successive indoor title, and his 71st career crown, when he hammered Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 6-4 to win his second Rotterdam Open on Sunday.
Federer had ended 2011 with a hat trick of trophies in Basel, Paris and London before picking up this week where he left off in the Dutch city seven years ago, when he won his first Rotterdam event.
"Even if I had a good indoor season last year, this is a great start. It was tough to come back and play Davis Cup and here, but I did it," he said.
"I also managed to stay positive after the Davis Cup loss, which was important for me. This court feels like home to me," said the 30-year-old, who was part of the Swiss team defeated 5-0 by the US.
The victory took Federer's record against Del Potro to 9-2, with the Swiss winning three of four in the series after losing the 2009 US Open final to the Argentine.
Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, has now assured himself of a 12th consecutive year in which he has won at least one ATP title.