In an entertaining final the 29-year-old world number 20 relied on his trademark stoicism to triumph 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 1,-6 6-2.

Nalbandian, on the other hand, allowed emotion to get the better of him in the closing stages of the match.

Trailing 2-5 in the deciding set, the world number 10 smashed his racket for a second time to receive a points deduction from umpire Mohamed Lahyani.

Apparently not hearing the announcement, Nalbandian only protested at the start of the next game, when serving to stay in the match.

Already 0-15 down as a result of the umpire's decision, the 22-year-old swung his next shot wildly high in an apparent fit of anger.

Forced to defend three match points moments later, Nalbandian cooled down enough to save two of them. But he then mishit a smash into the net, handing Novak the seventh ATP title of his career after three hours and two minutes of play.

"I'm definitely one of the happiest men in the world right now," Novak beamed afterwards.

"Today's the reward for a whole week of hard work because I had to beat a lot of very good players to get this far.

"Of course I noticed Nalbandian breaking two rackets, but I didn't feel any frustration in the way he was playing. I was just concentrating on my own game, but I thought both of us played great today."

Nalbandian claimed he had not heard the umpire announcing his first code violation but said he had been more hampered by a knee injury that he picked up during the quarter-finals.

"It was really difficult for me to run, serve or move from the second set on," Nalbandian said.

"The umpire didn't tell me anything (about the first code violation) but that's just something that happens, something I can't control."

Sunday's defeat brought an end to Nalbandian's impressive run in Basel, where he had gone 13 matches in three years without losing.

A winner here in 2002, the Argentine also made it to the 2003 final but was forced to pull out on the day of the match with a wrist injury.

Nalbandian admitted that the loss had also all but ruined his chances of qualifying for next month's lucrative Masters Cup tournament in Houston.

"I would need to win (at the Paris Masters) next week, and seeing as I'll be starting out with this (injury), it's almost impossible," he said.