After taking the lead in the first set, Moya, seeded 12 for the tournament, faced a tougher challenge in the second set when fellow Spaniard and friend Alex Corretja threatened to make a comeback.

Alex Corretja failed to find the necessary form to beat his countryman

Corretja, seeded 14, went ahead 2-1 but Moya refused to let him through and levelled in the next game. Corretja held off two set points at 4-5, then evened the set at 5-5 before losing.

In the final set, Moya returned to his initial dominance.

Moya, who dominated the 2.5 hours of a one-sided final, received the Musketeers Cup from soccer legend Pele as he became the fourth Spaniard to win in Paris after Manuel Santana, Andres Gimeno and Sergi Bruguera.

Moya, born and raised on the island of Majorca, came to prominence at last year's Australian Open, when he defeated Boris Becker in the first round, before reaching the final where he lost to Pete Sampras.

His win comes a day after compatriot, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, won the women's championship, beating Monica Seles in three sets.

Speaking after his defeat, Corretja said: "Congratulations to my friend Carlos. He beat me today - but I love him all the same.

"It's very difficult to be here and not to win. But there is no one I would rather have lost against."

Both Moya and Corretja will climb back into the top 10 when the world rankings are published on Monday. Moya will return to the fifth spot he first held last September while Corretja becomes the new world number nine.