Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka beat Croatian youngster Borna Coric on Sunday to capture the ATP Chennai Open for a third straight year, kicking off the new season in winning style.

The Swiss world number four overcame Coric in the $480,000 season-opening event with a 6-3, 7-5 win in the nearly 90-minute final, claiming his fourth victory since 2011 in the southern Indian city.

Scores of Indian fans at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium cheered wildly as the popular Wawrinka, making his eighth appearance in Chennai, outplayed his 19-year-old opponent — the youngest finalist on the ATP Tour in eight years.

The defending champion pocketed $75,700 and 250 ranking points for his efforts. But his biggest gain was a perfect tune-up for the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on January 18.

Two years ago Wawrinka had followed his triumph at the Chennai Open by beating Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final three weeks later, his first Grand Slam title.

And in 2015, after winning in Chennai, Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros to win the French Open in June.