Croatian Ivo Karlovic won the Nottingham Open for the second successive year on Saturday, beating Spain's Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in a closely-fought final.

The match was moved indoors after heavy rain made play impossible on the outdoor grass.

Serving dominated the final and in the first set the only break of serve came in the 12th game.

Third seed Verdasco had the upper hand in the second set, producing powerful and accurate serves to keep Karlovic at bay and winning the tiebreak 7-4.

After an exchange of breaks in the deciding set, the title came down to another tiebreak. A double fault from world number 21 Verdasco at 8-8 gave fourth seed Karlovic the opportunity to seal victory.

"It was difficult, he was playing really well," Karlovic told a news conference. "It just came down to one or two points. It was a close match. I'm very happy to have won here and I can go to Wimbledon with confidence."

The 2.08-metre Karlovic faces German Simon Stadler in the first round at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

From next year, the Nottingham ATP tournament event will be combined with the women's event in the southern seaside resort of Eastbourne.

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