Frenchman Fabrice Santoro won his first ATP event in five years when he beat compatriot Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-4 in the Hall of Fame Championship final at Newport, Rhode Island on Sunday.

The victory was the 34-year-old Santoro's fifth ATP title and the first since he won in Dubai in 2002.

The fourth-seeded Santoro broke serve three times and was broken only once in winning the first ATP meeting between the pair. It was also Santoro's Newport debut.

Santoro won 87 per cent of his first-serve points versus 71 per cent for the fifth-seeded Mahut.

In addition to his 2002 Dubai win, Santoro also has claimed titles at Doha in 2000, Marseille in 1999 and Lyon in 1997.