The world number one now has a 20-1 record for 2005 after claiming his third title of the year, all at the expense of the eighth-seeded Ljubicic, whom he also beat in Doha and Rotterdam.

But Federer, who had looked to be on course for an easy win when he took the first set 6-1, was pushed hard by the 25-year-old Croat who dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak.

"I almost ran away with it. But it's not always easy to close a match out," admitted Federer.

"I had a fright but I'm very, very happy. Having a match point like that reminded me of the (Marat) Safin match," he added, referring to the loss of his Australian Open title after holding six match points in Melbourne in January.