VINA DEL MAR, Chile Argentine teenager Guillermo Coria clinched his first ATP title at the weekend, beating third-seeded compatriot Gaston Gaudio 4-6 6-2 7-5 to land the Chevrolet Cup.

"It's a really great feeling to win my first ATP title here, especially as last year I got my first future professional title in Chile," Coria -- who finished last year ranked 156th in the world -- said afterward.

Undaunted by his first ATP final, 19-year-old Coria outlasted Gaudio in a see-saw two-and-a-half hour marathon which featured 18 breaks in 30 games.

More familiar at the challenger level of play, Coria -- whose victory earned him $49,500 -- topped his career-best effort of a quarterfinal finish in Bogota two weeks ago.

Coria's victory saw him clamber 13 places higher in the ATP entry system rankings to 56th in the world.

The 35 ATP champions race points also lifted him to 18th place in the champions race -- a ranking system only counting results of matches played in 2001.

Praising his rival, Gaudio said: "Coria has been playing really great this week and today he played really well, it was a really tough match, but today was Guillermo's day."

(Reuter)