Roger Federer collected his seventh Dubai Tennis Championship title with a superb straight-sets victory over world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday.
The Swiss was contesting his ninth final in Dubai and was in fine fettle to win his 84th ATP tournament courtesy of a 6-3 7-5 triumph.
The 17-time grand slam champion surpassed 9,000 career aces in a tight first set in which Federer found the crucial break in the eighth game, having earlier fended off two Djokovic break points.
Federer went on to serve out the opener, but Djokovic threatened a decider by taking his opponent's serve to 40-15 in the eighth and 10th games, the latter of which saw two set points go begging.
Having survived those scares Federer took advantage by breaking in the 11th game with a superb forehand winner.
There were a few signs of nerves as Djokovic earned a seventh break point, but once again Federer dug deep and earned victory in 84 minutes with his second match point.
In the process Federer - who has now won two ATP events this season - improved his tournament record to an impressive 47-5, while his head-to-head record against Djokovic now reads 20-17.
Djokovic, a four-time victor in Dubai, was attempting to collect his 50th tour-level title.