ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Argentina's Agustin Calleri won his first ATP title after almost eight years on the professional circuit on Saturday when he beat compatriot Mariano Zabaleta in a dramatic Mexican Open final.

The 26-year-old overcame Zabaleta 7-5 3-6 6-3 in just under three hours in a match full of the theatricals and flamboyant gestures often associated with Argentine sportsmen.

Calleri looked as though he might relive last year's nightmare in the Buenos Aires Open, when he surrendered two match points before losing to Nicolas Massu in the only other final of his career, as Zabaleta saved three match points.

But this time the Calleri, who like his opponent was unseeded, pulled himself together to finally break Zabaleta's resistance.

"It's a wonderful sensation, I went through a lot of anxiety in the last game," said Calleri, who finished 47th in last year's champions race, two places above his opponent. "I knew he was a bit tired so I tried to make him run about and tire him out."

Zabaleta, whose only title was in Bogota in 1998, said he missed the opportunity to take command in the third set when Calleri saved a flurry of break points, Reuters reported.

"I missed some chances and he was playing really well," said Zabaleta, who beat Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten in a three-hour marathon on Friday.