(CNN) -- Argentina's David Nalbandian continued his comeback after injury by beating Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the final of the Washington Classic.
His 6-2 7-6 victory snapped a 19-month title drought and has boosted his hopes ahead of the U.S. Open, the final grand slam of the season.
"If I continue playing this good, I have a chance to go very, very far," Nalbandian told the official ATP Tour website.
Nalbandian last won an ATP Tour title at Sydney in January 2009 but was sidelined for ninth months after hip surgery.
He returned earlier this year, but then a hamstring injury dealt him a further blow.
"We passed very tough moments in the last year and a half with the surgery," Nalbandian said.
"We have to enjoy this moment. It's tough to come back and play this well. Now we have to keep going," he added.
The victory will lift the 28-year-old back into the top 50 in the world, having been languishing in 117th place.
"If he plays like that, he can beat a lot of guys in the top 10," Baghdatis said.
Baghdatis had 11 break points in the second set, but could only take two of them as four service breaks were traded.
In the tiebreak, Nalbandian took a 5-0 lead and closed out the final after just over two hours.
"I played a little better in the second set. I had my chances but I didn't take them. He started well in the tie-breaker and that was it," added Baghdatis, who is also moving up the rankings after injury problems.
It was the 11th career title for Nalbandian, who has been as high as number three in the world rankings.
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