Karin Knapp sealed the second WTA title of her career by winning an all-Italian Nurnberger Versicherungscup final against Roberta Vinci on Saturday.
World number 48 Knapp ended claimed her maiden WTA triumph in Tashkent last year and got up and running for 2015 by seeing off her compatriot 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1.
Vinci might have been expected to prevail in the final set given Angelique Kerber pulled out of a scheduled semi-final due to a back problem, but it was Knapp who summoned up the energy to secure a morale-boosting victory ahead of the French Open.
Knapp earned as many as 17 break points in the match and won seven to her Fed Cup team-mate's five in a final that ebbed and flowed.
It had all started so well for Vinci, ranked six places higher than her opponent, as she broke twice to take a 3-0 lead in the first set and then led 5-2 before failing to take two set points in the ninth game.
Knapp had a set point of her own, but Vinci stood firm to force a tie-break which she was ultimately to lose and go a set down.
Vinci fought back to surge into a 4-2 lead in the second set and despite Knapp breaking back, the 32-year-old levelled the match by forcing another break.
While there had been little between the two in the first two sets, it was a different story in the decider as Knapp took charge by winning six games in a row to ease to victory.